Page 55 of Death

Chapter 12

“Tannis.”

I look up from my cereal bowl to find my parents staring at me over their cups of coffee.

“What?” I ask.

My father chortles. “Oh, jeez,” he says.

He eyes my mother and she nods.

“What?” I ask again. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” she says as she raises her mug.

I squint. “No, not nothing. What’d I miss?”

“During your daydream?” my father quips.

“I wasn’t daydreaming.”

“Looks like Ari has managed to get under your skin after all,” Mom says with a smile.

“No, he hasn’t!” I say. I tap my spoon against the inner wall of my empty bowl. “We’re just friends.”

“Just friends?”

“Well, we’re friendly,” I explain.

Dad grunts. “Friends don’t make out on my front porch.”

I glare at my mother and her eyes twitch away. Of course, she ended up telling him after all.

“Okay…” I clear my throat. “Friendlier than we were before, I guess.”

“And what exactly did he do on your second date to make you two so friendly all of a sudden?” my father asks, suspicious.

I swallow hard. I’m not quite sure which part would make this even more uncomfortable. There’s leaping out of a plane sans parachute. Or there’s the cabin.

Definitely won’t be saying a word about the dream trips to Ari’s bedroom.

The doorbell rings and I take the opportunity to shoot out of my chair.

“I’ll get it!” I shout as my chair legs scratch the floor beneath me.

I bolt out of the kitchen, ignoring their subtle, amused murmurs on my way to the door. Great. Real nice, Tannis. This is exactly how someone reacts when their friend shows up to go out and play.

I pause at the door to peek out the side window out of habit. Ari stands on the porch in his usual suit with his back to the door. That same black car awaits to take us... I have no idea where.

I grab my jacket from the closet and throw it on before opening the door. I quickly step out and close the door behind me before Ari turns around. When he does, his eyes instantly look me up and down. I’m not sure how I never noticed until now but every time he looks at me, he looks at me as if it’s the first time he ever has.

“Hey, Ari,” I greet.

He smiles and gives a short bow with his hands in his pockets. “Tannis,” he says. “How are you?”

“Uh...” I chuckle. “Strangely, feeling well-rested.”

He chuckles. “Good.”