Juliet toyed with her cell phone while Billy made plans with Zack and Todd. This wasn’t how she’d pictured her life in the real world. It would’ve been naive to think she’d fit right in, but she sure hadn’t imagined she’d be hiding again. The cage was bigger now, but it was still confinement.
For years she’d watched these three guys from her window and yearned to go outside, to make friends. She’d witnessed games, fights, and best of all, unity. They were part of a greater whole.
Billy’s logic for leaving her behind in the morning made sense, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Maybe she was never destined to be normal, to go on dates, to get a job, or even try for college like they were doing.
Her destiny had been a glass box in her parent’s’ basement.
Todd separated himself from Zack and Billy. He stopped beside her, but his gaze lingered on his friends. “Your sister is a trooper. Sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“I’m glad she’s all right.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thanks for letting me talk to her.”
“Everything’s going to be okay. Between Zack’s brain and Bill’s plotting, they’re going to figure this out.”
Juliet looked up at Todd. “And what’s your job?”
He grinned and lifted an arm, flexing his bicep. “I’m the muscle.”
An unexpected burst of laughter bubbled from her lips, and all conversation quieted. Billy and Zack turned her way, and her cheeks flushed with heat. She hadn’t meant to interrupt everything.
Todd lowered his arm and chuckled. “It’s okay. They’re not jealous…much.”
Billy rolled his eyes and Zack groaned, but the back-and-forth banter with Todd lightened her mood. But it was only for another moment before Billy told her the plan for the morning. Todd would stay with her at Zack’s place while Zack drove Billy to the meeting with his mother.
Her stomach soured at the thought. If anything happened to him, it would be her fault.
Todd said his goodbyes and left, and Zack disappeared into the main house. He returned with rolled-up blankets under his arms. “Here are a couple sleeping bags. The couch pulls out into a bed. It’s not very comfortable, but it’s cheaper than Motel 6.”
“Thanks, man.” Billy took the sleeping bags. “Let’s plan to leave by eight tomorrow morning, okay?”
Zack nodded. “Will do.” He sheepishly met Juliet’s eyes. “Um…nice hanging out with you.”
“Thank you for letting me stay.”
“No problem.” He almost smiled, then seemed to stop himself and backed toward the door. “I guess I better get some sleep.”
Billy started moving the sofa cushions. “’Night, Z-Man.”
After Zack closed the door, the awkward silence ate at her. Billy tugged on a bar on the couch, and a large, folded piece lifted from out of the frame.
The springs screeched, and he cringed. “Sorry about that.”
Juliet came a little closer. “Need any help?”
He unfolded it to reveal a thin mattress. “Did you have one of these at your house?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Nothing to get excited about. They’re pretty uncomfortable.”
He handed her one of the rolls that Zack had brought in, and she mirrored his movements, pulling the elastic bands free and unrolling it until it was flat on the mattress. She’d never used a sleeping bag before, either, but she kept that to herself.
She was grateful for something to do. This wasn’t the first time she’d shared a bed with Billy, but that had been before the hot kiss in the park.
She bit her lip, struggling to push the memory away. Nothing had to change. He’d been trying to hide her from the police. Nothing more.
“Is everything all right?”
His voice interrupted her thoughts. She cleared her throat and sat at Zack’s card table. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Billy came over and sat in the chair beside her. “I guess that’s kind of a dumb question, right? With the police after you and your sister over at Cindy’s, I know things could be better.”
Juliet nodded, staring at her bare hands. “I always slept in gloves.”
“What?”
She glanced his way. “My mother kept our fingernails trimmed, but we couldn’t risk getting scratched in our sleep, so we wore fleece-lined gloves and slipper socks to bed.” She dropped her hands into her lap. “I’m probably just exhausted, but when I used to dream about going outside, this wasn’t what I pictured. I’m still not free. Not really.”
“You will be.” He hesitated. “Juliet?”
She lifted her gaze. He had beautiful green eyes, much brighter than she’d imagined from her bedroom window. “They had no right to keep you and your sister locked up. This is wrong, and people need to know. What if Genesis has more houses like yours out there?”
Her breath caught at the thought. It hadn’t crossed her mind that her father might not be the only scientist obsessed with perfection. Genesis could be in other towns, too. Could there be more copies of her out there? Clones like her sister?
She didn’t want to think about it. One step at a time. She stood up and glanced over at the noted Zack had written and the pages of phone numbers he printed out. “When you came to my door that night, after my birthday, I spent lots of time day-dreaming about when I’d get to go outside and we could be friends.” She shook her head and stared up at the ceiling. “It never looked like this.” She sighed and met his eyes again. “I’m sorry I got you mixed up in this.”
Billy got up and came closer, raising his hand like he might touch her cheek. He paused and slowly lowered it to his side. “You had no choice.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “I was the one who almost ran you over with my truck.”
She laughed as a tear spilled down her face. He wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. His tender caress tied her stomach in knots. She wished she had more experience—okay, any experience—with guys.
Standing there like a frightened rabbit wasn’t really the message she wanted to send.
Clearing her throat, she forced a smile. “Whatever the reason, I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”
“Can I tell you something?” His voice was soft, his gaze intense.
She nodded, holding her breath.
“My whole life I’ve been the storyteller in our group, the writer. Hell, I’m getting a degree in English lit with the dream of writing the great American novel someday.” He rolled his shoulders back with a nervous chuckle. “Telling someone this out loud is harder than I thought it would be.”
His eyes met hers again. “Until you ran into the road, I’d spent my life watching the world, taking notes, writing stories about it, like an observer. Right now—” he pointed to the printout of phone numbers on Zack’s desk “—I can make a difference. I’m in this.” Billy paused and slowly turned toward her. “I’m not leaning on my folks or witnessing a conflict. I’m living this story, Juliet. With you. So no more apologizing. I chose to be involved, and so did Zack and Todd.”
Her pulse thrummed as she sat on the edge of the sofa bed. The fire in his eyes and the determination in his tone made her knees rubbery. Again, she wished she had a clue how to relieve the tempest of unfamiliar emotions he conjured inside her. All she could think of was to change the subject.
“What’s college like?”
He shrugged and pulled a chair over. “It’s all right. I like living in the dorm on campus. The freedom of not having my parents watching over my shoulder or a curfew is nice. The term papers and final exams aren’t fun, but overall, I like it.”
“I’ve only read about it in books. Do you have many friends there?”
Billy nodded. “Yeah. My roommates are cool, and I have some friends in the English department now.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” She almost gasped when the question came out of her mouth. Could she have been any more obvious? And what if she didn’t like his answer? Her cheeks warmed. No doubt her pale skin was bright red.
Billy glanced at his hands. “I did.” He looked at her again. “We broke up.”
“I’m sorry.” She backpedaled. “It’s none of my business.”
“No.” He reached forward and touched her hand. “You didn’t upset me. It happened before we finished this last semester. I feel more foolish than hurt.”
“Why?”
His fingers slipped away from her hand. “Her name was Cassie. She’s an actress, and she played me pretty well.”
Juliet waited. While she didn’t have any real-life experience, she’d read enough books to have an idea of what he probably meant.
“She liked having me around when she wanted to go to a movie or something, but after a few months, she was tougher to pin down for a date.” He rolled his eyes. “She started seeing a guy that she was performing with in one of her plays. She hid it behind my back. I should’ve seen it coming, but…” He leaned back in the chair, his green eyes locked on hers. “I didn’t have much experience with women. I kept giving her the benefit of the doubt and ended up feeling like a total ass when I caught her with some other guy’s hand up her shirt.”
Juliet frowned. “She was the fool.”
He smiled, setting off a hundred butterflies in her belly. “Thanks.” He glanced at the sleeping bags. “I guess we should get some sleep.”
She nodded, crossing her arms around her middle. “Okay.”
His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Juliet released one arm, running her fingers along the zipper of the sleeping bag. “I don’t know.”
It was an honest answer. She wasn’t sure what was happening inside her, but she didn’t want to turn out the lights and sleep.
Billy came and sat on the edge of the fold-out bed beside her. Fire smoldered under her skin as he lifted her chin so she’d meet his eyes. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor? I won’t touch you, I swear. You’re safe with me.”
She searched his eyes and whispered, “I want you to touch me.”
Confusion lined his brow. “What?”
“I…” She wet her lips. “When you kissed me this afternoon I…I know you were just trying to hide me from the police.” She took a breath. Life was short, especially for her. She rested her hand on his. “But I can’t stop thinking about it.”
He leaned in a little closer. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“How many girls have you kissed?”
“Does it matter?”
She shrugged, every nerve tingling, her skin aching for attention as if her body was its own entity and she was at its mercy. “You know how many guys I’ve kissed.”
“I should’ve mentioned this before but…” He smiled, whispering, “You’re a natural.”
His lips brushed hers slowly, parting her mouth until the tip of his tongue caressed her lower lip. She moaned into the kiss as their tongues twined together. Unlike earlier in the park, this time she savored every second, memorizing every sensation. Her physical desires had been dormant, imprisoned for years just as she had been, but Billy’s touch set her free.
His fingers slid into her hair, pulling her closer. She reached out, allowing her fingertips to explore his chest. She’d never touched a man before, and he groaned against her, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Her pulse hammered in her ears, and her breasts were suddenly heavy, nipples hardened and straining against her soft, cotton sports bra.
Juliet gasped for air, and Billy slowed, caressing her lips over and over. Finally, he rested his forehead against hers. “I could kiss you all night.”
Juliet grinned as she lost herself in his bright-green eyes. “I wouldn’t complain.”
“When this is over—” he laced their fingers together and leaned back “—would you go to a movie with me?”
She nodded, staring at their joined hands. “I’ve never seen a movie or been on a date before.”
“So you’re due.”
She laughed. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”
Billy sobered. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Once this is over, do you know what you’d like to do?”
She didn’t. No high school diploma, no computer skills, no work experience. She shrugged. “I like to draw.”
“Nice.” He smiled. “I can’t even do stick people justice.”
She got up and grabbed a pen and paper from Zack’s desk. “Just hold still.”
Glancing up every few seconds, she sketched the shape of Billy’s face, then started shading in the variances in his eyes and the angle of his jaw. Once she was happy with her work, she turned the paper around and held her breath.
Billy’s eyes widened as he reached for the paper. “Wow.” Taking a closer look, he shook his head. “You’re really good.” He chuckled. “And fast, too. You’re amazing.”
She soaked up the praise. It wasn’t something she ever got at home. She set the pen on the table and took her seat beside him again. “Lots of time to practice. One of the doctors who sometimes helped my dad used to sneak me comic books and graphic novels. I thought after I turned eighteen, I’d get to go outside and maybe take some art classes. If I worked at it, maybe I could illustrate comics.”
“No way.” His face brightened. “I love them, too. I have a storyline about three high school kids who battle dark forces. They call themselves the Triad.”
Juliet’s pulse pounded again but not from a physical yearning this time. She grinned. “Maybe I could read it sometime.”
“You might be able to draw up some cool characters for them.”
“I’d love that.”
He took her hand, smiling. “This is incredible.”
She nodded, unable to verbalize the joy of actually considering a future outside that horrible house. Instead of sleeping, Billy logged into his “cloud” storage. She had no real concept of what that was, but inside were some files and he shared his writings and ideas with her—like an equal, a friend.
And if she died tomorrow, at least for one amazing day, she had really lived.