Tess moves past us and into the hallway, heading for the stairs. All I can think is that Parrish got up and went for a walk or … something. Maybe he needed time to think? I’ve made my decision. He said that, didn’t he? Then we got naked together and crossed off a whole bunch of firsts from both our lists. We talked about telling Tess. He seemed nervous but resolved, excited even.
Did he change his mind since last night? Does he regret what happened between us?
“Don’t look so nervous; Parrish wouldn’t just … well, you know, with you and then take off. He’s around here somewhere.” Famous last words, I think as Chasm struts past me, and I follow.
We help Tess search out the rest of the house: the sauna, the pool, the gym, Paul’s office, her office, the bedrooms, the backyard.
There’s no sign of Parrish.
“I don’t understand,” Tess says as Paul stands beside her, looking supremely annoyed at the inconvenience of a missing son. “His phone is in his room; his car is the garage. I even found his wallet in his book bag.”
Chasm appears in the doorway and hefts up a plastic garbage bag.
“Checked his trash, but there aren’t any clues.” He gives me a dirty look as soon as Tess nods her thanks and turns her attention back to Paul. “You fucking owe me.” This last part is whispered in my ear just before he takes off toward the garage, and I scoot off my stool in the kitchen to follow.
“Thank you for that,” I reply honestly, because it never even occurred to me that Tess might actually go through Parrish’s garbage and see … well, evidence from last night. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, well.” Chasm lifts the lid of the large trash can and tosses the bag in. “I have ulterior motives, you know? He might be your fuckboy, but he’s my best friend. If he gets caught banging you, we’ll never see each other again.”
“First off, fuckboy?” I query, rubbing at the side of my face. I’m worried, but not that worried. Not yet. “Second, banging? Pick better word choices.” He slams the lid on the can and turns to give me a dark look.
“I’m not even the one fucking, but yet I’m having to clean up the aftermath.” He lets his pretty amber eyes trail up toward the ceiling, staring at the white sheetrock as if it might hold the answer as to where Parrish has gone.
“I thought you were banned from the house?” I ask, because he was. For at least another week. Chasm’s sardonic laugh helps fill in the blanks almost immediately. His dad, this has to be about his dad.
Bingo.
“My dad has some guests staying over that he doesn’t want me to meet.” Chasm frowns and rubs his hand over his face. “More like, he doesn’t want the guests meeting me. He called Tess and asked if I could stay over for a few nights.”
Ouch.
“I know how you feel,” I start, thinking about yesterday, about that stupid page stuck in Tess’ typewriter. I should never have touched it, my mistake. It would’ve been better if I hadn’t known how she really felt about me. “Last night, I learned that Tess doesn’t like me. She loves me—maybe—but she doesn’t like me.”
“She told you that?” Chasm asks, and I shrug.
“More like, I saw a page from her new manuscript and read it. I think it went something like this: She may be my child by blood, and my love might be eternal, but that doesn’t mean I have to like her.” I’m not sure if I’m quoting it right, but close enough. Chas gets the gist.
“Yikes, Little Sister,” he murmurs, echoing my sentiments about his father. “Is that how you and Parrish …?” He trails off and then shakes his head, shoving his fingers through his bangs and disturbing the pretty perfection of his lightning bolt. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. I don’t even care.”
We pause our conversation as Tess opens the door to the garage, giving us both a look that cuts right to the bone.
“If either of you know where my son is, now is the time to speak up. This isn’t a game; it’s not a joke.”
“We would never lie about something like this,” I say, glancing over at Chasm. His face has darkened up, but he has no problem meeting Tess’ eyes. He really doesn’t know either. Now I’m starting to panic.
“If we knew where he was, we’d tell you. He probably just went for a walk.” Chasm doesn’t sound like he believes that, but it’s the only rational explanation at this point. “I’ll start calling around and see if anyone’s seen or heard from him.”
“Do you know his passwords?” Tess asks, swallowing hard. Her eyes are red-rimmed, and I can see that this is deeply triggering for her. “We could get into his PlayStation or email or something and check for messages?”
