Vault of Glass, page 4
August had barely made a noise when he found her sobbing and huddled up against a wall.
With him standing there so close and her heartbroken, it had made her tears flow even more. Perrie shifted away from him, but he didn’t leave. Instead, he sank down beside her on the carpeted floor and pulled her onto his lap. His warmth, his comfort, made her tears slow.
Perrie and August hadn’t spoken to each other outside of casual conversation about school or music. He would sometimes talk to Neven after class when he would meet her there. They’d been sort of friends, but more like acquaintances. He was the first person that she’d told everything—before she’d told Maisie.
When her crying ceased, she was holding onto him like she’d known him her entire life. There were questions written all over his face, but he never asked them.
After that day, she and August grew closer and closer. She’d been so sure they could just be friends.
Now, Perrie didn’t know. It was so strange how a friendship could begin so fast in a single instant, but it could, and it did. August’s thoughtful gift was a reminder of that change.
She shook her head and snapped her fingers. No more Neven or August tonight. This wasn’t a love triangle or any other weird love-shaped fictional bullshit. It was her moving on from one guy, where the feelings were already dead, to fighting her emotions for someone else.
Tearing off the day’s clothes, she threw on her old tattered T-shirt and baggy polka-dot pants before wandering back into the living room. Her dad was already getting up from the couch and heading to bed.
“Good night, sweetheart. I hope you had a great day. Happy birthday one last time.” It was the longest sentence he’d said to her that night.
“I did. I love you, Dad.” She waved him good night, then flipped on the TV.
“I love you, too.” He yawned and disappeared into his bedroom.
Snatching the flowered quilt from the edge of the couch, Perrie pulled it to her chin and turned on Dracula. It was the black and white version, and those ones were always the best.
About five minutes after the first woman on screen screamed, a gentle tap sounded at the door. It could only be one person at this late hour. Tossing off the blanket, Perrie padded to the door and looked through the peephole. Yep, I was right. Maisie stood there in her pajamas, her fingers tapping her thighs. Perrie whistled a birdy signal like they’d started when they were younger. Maisie released a high-pitched one in return and Perrie threw the door open, tugging her inside.
“What are you doing coming over so late? Is everything all right?”
“I have the most exciting news.” Maisie was practically beaming in her bright yellow pajama pants and her long-sleeve banana-print shirt. An eye patch shaped like a banana covered her eye, matching her clothing.
“I have three questions. First, do you sleep in eye patches? Second, couldn’t you have just sent me a text or called? And third, can we sit down?”
“My answers are... No, they would get in the way while I sleep. I could have, but for absolute expression, I can’t do that over text—emojis aren’t a replacement. Last, yes, let’s sit down because I see you’re watching one of my favorite movies ever.”
Maisie plopped down on the couch, snatched the blanket, and covered her legs. Perrie shut the front door, then sat beside her and grabbed the edge of the blanket to cover herself. “Okay, what’s this big news?”
She frowned as her gaze settled on Perrie’s face. “Hey, where’s your new eye patch? Remember, you promised to wear it.”
With a huff, Perrie left her comfortable spot and located the patch on the table. She then slid it over her eye, the fabric soft like silk. “There. Happy?”
“Yes! Now, remember the Glass Vault?”
“Of course I remember the old, creepy mansion that appeared out of nowhere! How could I forget?” Perrie rubbed the side of her head and pretended to look lost. Maisie ignored her sarcasm.
“Anyway, as soon as we finished up dinner, I emailed my resume to Quinsey Wolfe. He emailed me back in record time and said I have the job.” She paused for effect. “I start this Thursday, nine o’clock sharp!”
Squinting, Perrie nodded in confusion. “Wait a second, so you’re starting work at nine in the morning? We have school.”
Maisie shook her hand wildly in front of her face. “No! No. He wanted me to start at nine at night.”
Her jaw dropped. That seemed like odd hours for a museum to keep on a regular day-to-day. They also hadn’t officially opened yet. Maybe they were getting everything in order for whenever they planned to open, though?
“I don’t know. That seems pretty late for a school night—or any night—to go into work at a museum. It’s not a bar or strip club here, or is it?” Perrie paused. “Did he say what time you would be getting off?”
She shrugged emphatically. “I told him I could work till midnight for now until summer starts, which is almost here anyway.”
“What did your parents say? I’m willing to bet they aren’t overly thrilled about the late exotic dancer-like hours.”
Maisie stayed silent and looked off to the side to try and hide her guilt.
“You didn’t tell them, did you?” Perrie wasn’t surprised.
Maisie had been looking for a job that met her impossibly high standards for a while now. Besides selling her eye patches, she didn’t have any real work experience, and she refused to do anything that involved food. Hell, Perrie refused to do anything that involved food. She supposed working at the possible freak show of a mansion must’ve meant a great deal to her cousin if she hadn’t said anything to her parents yet.
“You can’t either. This is like my dream job!” Maisie brought her thumbnail to her teeth and chewed nervously.
“Dream job?” She laughed a little too loudly and she hadn’t meant it to sound so harsh. “The whole thing seems sketchy. We don’t even know what a glass vault is! A museum grows out of the ground, a guy you haven’t even met, no interview, hires you, and he wants you to start right away? It doesn’t make sense.”
Unfazed by her questioning, Maisie said, “But, Perrie, he sounded so desperate in the email! It’s so new to the area, barely anyone has applied. He wants to open soon and needs the help. It’s perfect timing!”
Of course no one else had applied. She’d had no idea the Glass Vault even existed until this afternoon.
“Fine.” Perrie relented. “I won’t say anything, but you have to get August and me in for free once it opens. I want to see what this place looks like.”
“Deal.” She grinned widely and drew an exaggerated cross over her heart with her finger.
They stayed up a little longer and finished watching the rest of the bloodsucking goodness. When it was over, Perrie walked Maisie to the door and waited until she made it home safely. After her cousin had crawled through her bedroom window, Perrie waved good night and shut the door.
Once she locked the door behind her, she yawned and removed the lion eye patch from her face. She turned it over and over in her hand, thinking about the Glass Vault and what kind of things waited inside.
Chapter 5
School that day was as mundane as it could get. Maisie had a group project she needed to work on with a few people in her class, so Perrie caught a ride home with August since he’d fixed his tire.
“Do you want to come inside and hang out for a bit?” Perrie turned to August as he pulled into her driveway.
He was rocking the wind-blown look, his blond hair a curly mess and sticking up all over the place. A smile spread across his face and her cheeks warmed again.
Enough of that shit already.
“Yeah, sure, I don’t have to be at work until later.” August was a janitor at his dad’s law firm and cleaned the building a few times during the week.
The house would be empty since her dad was working overtime, so he wouldn’t be home until later this evening. Not that she planned on doing anything besides them hanging out. Or do I?
She couldn’t help the image coming to her of her straddling August in the driver seat, her hips rocking against his as he gripped her waist. Their mouths coasting over one another, his tongue dancing with hers.
Perrie didn’t look at him as she stepped out of the car, a heat spreading through her, lower and lower. She cleared her throat and told herself to calm the hell down.
“Do you want something to drink?” Perrie asked as she opened the door and entered the foyer.
He shrugged out of his jacket. “I’ll take some water.”
Perrie grabbed them each a room-temperature bottled water from the pantry. She then chugged hers almost all the way down as she went back into the living room to where August was waiting.
“Thanks,” he said when she handed a bottle over to him.
“Sorry if it’s too warm. Cold water just rubs me the wrong way.”
“Yeah? We’re in sync then.” He nervously fiddled with the cap. “So, Perrie, I’ve wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s up?” His rambling had gotten her full attention. He was totally focused on her face and she could practically feel the intensity of his stare. Did he know what she’d been thinking earlier?
“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?”
She frowned, a little unsure of what he was trying to get at. “Sure, but we hang out all the time. We’re hanging out now.”
He raked a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “I mean like go out out.”
“Do you mean like an actual date?” She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.
He inspected the floor as though he was searching for something. She hoped she didn’t just embarrass herself by asking if it wasn’t what he’d even meant.
“Yes, doll face, like you and me. An actual date.” Her heart slammed against her rib cage as he continued, “I like you. I have for a while now, but I wasn’t sure when would be a good time. If you don’t want to, if this is too soon, I understand. I don’t want anything to get weird, but I had to try.”
Perrie’s heart pounded harder as her gaze locked onto his green irises. The stone in her chest cracked even more. Perspiration pressed against her shirt as she swallowed her remaining sip of water. She’d told herself she wouldn’t get in this position again for a long time, but the truth was she liked him. This was her chance to tell him she’d give it a shot. Perrie had been hiding under the surface of her feelings for too long. She needed air, and August was oxygen.
But then the fucking doorbell rang.
“Hold that thought, okay?” Ragged breaths escaped her as she rushed to answer the door. She was prepared to tell whomever it was to get lost when she pulled the door open to Neven. The words were knocked right out of her, and her stomach plummeted to the earth. She should’ve checked the damn peephole first.
Anger coursed through her veins, and her words were trapped in her throat for a moment. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“Sorry, pass.” Perrie motioned to the living room where August stood. “I have company. This will have to wait.” She began to shut the door, but Neven stuck his foot in to stop it from closing.
Perrie clenched her jaw and was about two seconds from pulling the door back open to slam it on his foot, when he reached out to touch her. “It’s important. Please?”
The worried look on his face made her halt, think. “Fifteen minutes.” Maybe the sight of him wasn’t bothering her as much anymore, so she decided to let him in.
Neven stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted August. “Alone?”
“Anything you have to say you can say in front of him,” Perrie said and crossed her arms. August rocked back and forth on his heels, clearly uncomfortable.
“It’s fine, Perrie. You can call me later.” August started to collect his things.
Perrie rushed over and tried to stop him, not wanting him to leave. “August, you don’t have to go.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just call me later, all right?” He threw his jacket over his shoulder and she walked with him to the door. Neven remained in the background watching them quietly.
“Okay. Talk to you later.” She smiled, trying to ignore the awkward situation.
Closing the door behind her, Perrie pressed her back to it and took a deep breath.
“This better be good.” When she looked at Neven, she couldn’t control the past from coming to her in a rush.
The day everything went downhill with Neven was six months ago. Everything in Perrie’s life had felt perfect. She wasn’t as worried about the future and college because life at that moment was great.
It only took one mistake to ruin everything. Neven had called her one morning to say he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t be at school. She’d told him she would check on him after.
Perrie remembered every minute detail about that day. She could recall the crisp smell of the fall air, the caress of the light breeze, the sound of the leaves and branches brushing together, and even the crackle of Nev’s neighbor grilling meat outside.
Maisie had dropped Perrie off at his house on the way home, and she should’ve told her cousin to wait, but she’d never needed to before.
Nev’s car had been the only one in the driveway, and the door to his house unlocked. He’d always left it unlocked for her when he knew she was coming over, so she didn’t think anything of it at the time.
After grabbing a bottled water from the cabinet in his kitchen, she’d headed upstairs. Loud music echoed from his room, the way it always had when he was home alone. As she inched closer, noises came from inside the open door. Perrie had known what the sounds were from the second they struck her ears, but still she persisted. She needed to confirm her worst nightmares and torture herself further.
When she reached the doorway, her gaze first landed on male and female clothes scattered about the room. Perrie swallowed her anxiety. Nev was right there in his bed with a redheaded woman who she’d never seen before. Then again, she couldn’t see her face, but she would’ve recognized that hair anywhere—it was the color of fire. She was on top of him rolling her hips against Neven’s naked body, his fingers digging into her waist, his eyes closed, his lips parted. Neven’s hands drifted up to cradle her breasts as he groaned, the redhead arching in pleasure.
It hit Perrie all at once and she couldn’t take it anymore. She hightailed it out of there. Thinking back now, she should’ve done or said something. She should’ve pulled the redhead off him and slapped Neven hard across the face. There was always the should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, but instead, she’d chosen to leave.
Perrie had walked all the way home, dazed and disoriented, the tears never coming.
Neven called several times that evening, but she refused to answer the phone. The whole night and the following day numbness consumed her. She robotically went through the motions of brushing her teeth, showering, dressing, and so on. It wasn’t until later in the orchestra room she’d let go and allowed herself to feel everything—the hurt, the betrayal, and the brokenness.
When Neven had called that evening, she told him it was over, to leave her the fuck alone, and never speak to her again.
The sound of Neven rambling on about something interrupted her thoughts, but she couldn’t focus on what he’d said.
“Well?” Neven blurted, instead of explaining himself, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Well, what?” she snapped, even though it was her fault for not listening.
He slid his hands into his pockets, seeming hesitant to say anything else. “Have you been down Oak Street lately?”
Perrie’s heart lodged in her throat, her voice coming out in a rasp. “You saw the Glass Vault?”
His eyes widened at the mention of it. “Yes! I went down the street this morning on the way to school and noticed it. When I asked the guys at basketball, they had no idea what I was talking about.”
“Why didn’t you just send me another email? Or a text? I do have a phone. You didn’t have to show up here.”
“Would you have responded?” He shrugged and pursed his lips.
“I did email you back the last time, didn’t I?” she bit back.
He waved it off, as if that detail wasn’t important. “So you saw the Glass Vault?”
Perrie rubbed her chin with her thumb and forefinger. “I was with Maisie and August yesterday when we stumbled on it. Maisie already has a job there.”
“She’s gone inside the place? When I stopped there this morning it was locked up tight.” He sighed.
“No, she emailed the owner, Quinsey Wolfe. He hired her right on the internet spot. It’s incredibly odd.”
His eyebrows shot up. “This creepy building appears out of nowhere, and Maisie gets a job there, even though she has no idea what’s inside or what she’ll be doing?” Neven shook his head. “It sounds just like her.”
“It so does.” Perrie snickered.
Their conversation was at least about the Glass Vault, but then the silence became tangible.
Neven let out a long breath. “Is there something going on between you and August?”
Fucking great. She crossed her arms. “No. Not at the moment. There could be, but I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
Neven laced his fingers at the back of his neck and released a frustrated groan before throwing his hands into the air.
“Come on, Perrie! I still don’t understand what I did wrong. You said I cheated on you, but I don’t know when or how I could have if I was throwing up all day.”
“But you went for a run? Who the hell goes running after vomiting?”
“Apparently, I do.”
“I saw you, Neven. You were fucking some redhead.” Perrie tried to keep her voice as even as possible. If she worked herself up, she would explode and break everything in the house.
“What girl?” he shouted.
“I don’t know! She was naked, you were naked”—Perrie pointed at her brown hair—“and there was red hair with both your clothes on the floor!” she screamed. How could he keep lying about this?
