Page 67 of Like a Power Play
“Darcy,” she calls, quieter than before. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her voice so gentle, not even when it cracked in the locker room, tears streaming down her face. I clutch the pillow tighter. “Will you please let me in?”
“Go away.” I sniff, the words catching in my throat.
There’s a hollow feeling in my chest, like something has been ripped out from deep inside, leaving an empty space. Peyton has a nice voice. It’s low and smooth, like black marble, the polished cool of it scrubbing goosebumps down my body. It’s a shame that every time I hear it, that hole in my chest seems to expand. “Just… go away.”
Peyton calls again, louder this time. “I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “You can take as long as you need, but just so you know—I’m sweaty, and covered in soot. The longer I sit out here, the worse it’s gonna smell when I finally come in.”
She’s trying to be funny. I hate that the urge to laugh almost gets the better of me. “I just want to be alone.”
Peyton pauses. I hear some shuffling on the other side, then a heavy thud. My head tilts curiously, but I don’t say anything. Finally, she asks, “Can we be alone together?”
I sniff, shaking my head at her ridiculousness. God, she’s stubborn. I mutter, just loud enough for her to hear, “I’m still not letting you in.”
More shuffling.
“Okay.”
I don’t know how long I’m there, staring at the ceiling until my eyes dry up, the hole in my chest swallowing me up.
I must have drifted off, because when I blink awake, the sun has finished setting, and the cabin is dark. My body aches as I sit up, stretching, and immediately I’m hit with a pounding headache, a reminder that I cried out every ounce of water in my body. I reach for my water bottle on the nightstand.
Empty.
Getting up with a groan, I slip my slides on and grab my phone for a flashlight so I can head to the water station. I reach for the doorknob, unlocking it and pulling it open.
It’s so dark, I nearly trip over Peyton when I step out. She’s sitting cross-legged directly in front of the door. Her gaze snaps up the instant I open it.
“Hey,” she says softly, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips as she jumps to her feet. I stare at her, disoriented.
“Have you…” I trail off. “How long have you been sitting out here?”
She shrugs, all nonchalant. “I don’t know, I don’t have my phone.” Her eyes flick upward, like she’s doing some quick mental math. “I think you stopped talking to me about an hour ago?”
I blink, my head tipping to the left. “You waited out here for an hour?”
She smiles. “I would’ve waited all night.”
My stomach flips. Not the usual tightness, not the mild flutter of nerves. No, itsoars, tumbling over itself, spiraling until I’m afraid it might never find its way back down. I glance downat her arms, pulled up into her sleeves to shield her from the cold, just like the night of the party. Guilt tugs at my chest. I left her out here to freeze to death.
“Is the fire still going?” I ask. She nods, which only feeds my confusion. “Why didn’t you go sit by the fire? Stay warm?”
She swallows, her cheek sucking in between her back teeth the way she always does. I don’t know why I like it when she does that. “I wanted to be alone with you.” She pauses, then her eyes widen. “Alonetogether.Wait—”
A soft laugh slips out of me, but it sends a sharp ache through my skull. I wince. Her gaze drops to my water bottle, then back to me.
“Going to the water station?” she asks. I nod, the movement a struggle. She hesitates before asking again, “Can I come with you?”
Her eyes lock onto mine, those bronze flecks swirling in them, her pupils dilating as she studies me. It’s no wonder Peyton is the way she is. With those eyes, I don’t know if anyone has ever been able to tell her no.
I sigh, tossing my head in a painful jolt for her to join me. A smile breaks across her face, those cute little creases framing the edges of her lips. I pull the cabin door closed behind me with aclick, and Peyton waits for me to step down the stairs first. She doesn’t say a word as she follows behind me, she just trails along, bobbing her head like a lost puppy
When we reach the water pump, I find myself staring at the metal handle, raising an apprehensive brow. Peyton reaches out first, grabbing it confidently before holding her hand out, silently asking for my water bottle.
“I can pump my own water, Peyton.” I frown, reaching for the handle. She lets go immediately, raising her hands in mock surrender.
“Whatever you say, Ms. Possible.”
A grin tugs at the corner of my lips despite myself, and I quickly let my hair fall over my cheek to hide it. Unscrewing the cap of my water bottle, I hold it beneath the faucet and start to pump. My wrists cramp, but I try not to show it. “Keep calling me that, and I’ll keep calling you Icarus.”
