Frosted (Hate at First Flight #3)

23. The Memories That Suffocate Us

SONG : NON-STOP - EXO

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The atmosphere in the car was dense and suffocating.

I felt like clawing at my chest even though I sat there in the passenger seat of my car, frozen in shock at his words. It didn't help that he was watching me with an almost burning stare.

Just us two?

Just us two? 

Even thinking those words together left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. Jace and I, together, alone? By ourselves?

My mind raced as the full extent of his words slowly sunk in.

We were going to be alone together for the next couple of days? Until Bruce and my father thought it was safe enough to return? Who knows how long that would be?

I pressed my lips together in a thin line, trying to arrange my thoughts together before I said anything, turning away from Jace to stare out into the darkness outside the car.

The darkness swallowed up yhe scenery of the lake but I could picture what it hid from view. My memory painted the view and it was as if it was light out.

The large expanse of the lake that stretched out to the point that it almost seemed endless. On the other side was all forest save for the old abandoned house that we usually went to to explore during one of those high school summers.

A pier stretched out from the back of the house overlooking the lake where a couple of jet skis and motorboat would be.

The house itself was huge, towering over the lake and the biggest one out of the three houses that were built by the lake. Mr Frost prided himself of that house, to the point that his wife would joke that if he could, he would spend all year there.

I smiled momentarily, wondering how  Georgia and Jace's parents were doing. Dad and Mr Frost met regularly for meetings but I had never seen him in the four years that I had drifted away from everyone.

I shook myself out of the reverie, bringing myself back to the matter at hand.

From a logical point of view, whatever was happening made sense.

Since the blackmailer seemed to be more of a threat than they had earlier thought him to be, it made sense to go to a safe house, which in this case was the Frost's vacation house.

The blackmailer wouldn't have any knowledge of the lake house since the last time I had any connection with the place was five to six years ago, long enough that he shouldn't know about it.

However, I couldn't have a logical mindset in the given situation. 

The idea of spending a couple of days all alone with Jace at his family vacation house, where I had always loved to visit, with all our memories in it, was something I couldn't bring myself to accept.

I sighed as I folded my arms tightly around myself, the lowing temperature that came with the night slowly sipping into my skin, hugging it to the point that I was so close to shivering.

I turned to face Jace as a shadow of movement happened from his side.

His focus was on the buttons of the car, turning the temperature up before he faced me.

"Is that warm enough?" he asked, worry creased his face as he studied me.

Instead of answering his question, I replied with my own, "Why?"