Read Online Eternity by Heather Terrell - Free Book Online Page B

suggested he was more than human. All I heard was an internal dialogue where he was beating himself up for asking me out for coffee.
    Rafe was walking fast, and the street was getting darker. Out of necessity, I’d parked in an area removed from the streetlamps and foot traffic. I started to pull back, toward the slightly busier area.
    As if he understood my thoughts, Rafe slowed down and said, “Sorry, Ellie. I’ve probably freaked you out by heading right to your spot. I saw you pull into it earlier tonight.”
    Of course there was a perfectly logical explanation. These days, I was pretty squirrelly. “I’m the one that’s sorry, Rafe. You’re just trying to be nice.”
    We continued walking, much slower this time, and in silence. Without the noise from the cars, it was awfully quiet. The final yards to my car felt long.
    Rafe delivered me to my car door and patiently waited while I opened it. I was about to thank him and close the door, when he said, “I didn’t mean to come on too strong with you, Ellie. Asking you out for coffee and all that. Sometimes, I forget how to act.”
    Forget how to act? What did he mean by that? But I didn’t want him to feel bad—and I knew how bad he felt from the flash—so I said, “You did nothing wrong, Rafe. You asked me to grab a cup of coffee with you. That’s all.”
    “I’m glad you feel that way, Ellie. I was hoping we could be better friends. I wanted you to understand.”
    Of course, that was all. Aside from asking me out for coffee, which any friend could do, Rafe had never done anything to encourage me. I had no concrete reason to think he liked me, other than the flash I’d gotten from him in the gymnasium and the one I’d sought just now. And both of those could have been interpreted other ways. I should’ve been relieved, but I wasn’t.
    “That’s great, Rafe.” Even though part of me thought it was definitely not great.
    “Good. Then I’ll see you tomorrow in the early evening in town for some follow-up work on these donations?”
    “Tomorrow evening.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    That night, I couldn’t sleep again. Thoughts of Rafe and Michael and the prophecy spun a web in my mind. Not the eerie futuristic dreams to which I’d grown accustomed or the disquieting nightmares about the man with the black hair. Instead, I had a vivid dream in which Rafe, Michael, and I flew the skies together in a mad race to halt the ticking of the end-days clock. By the time morning arrived, I was so confused.
    I mean, how could I simultaneously dream about Rafe, love Michael, and worry about the end of the world?
    That morning, I drove myself to school instead of riding in with Michael. I needed a car for my meeting in town with Rafe just before Michael’s Friday night football game. In lieu of our car ride, Michael and I planned on meeting at my locker before class. Normally, I was excited to have my few minutes alone with Michael in the morning, but today I felt something very different as I approached locker number twenty-four. Dread.
    As if I’d betrayed Michael by enjoying my time with Rafe. Like he once betrayed me.
    We couldn’t afford this distraction. So I pretended nothing was out of the ordinary, something I’d gotten awfully good at doing. I painted on my smile as I walked down the hallway toward my locker, where Michael was waiting, and kept my lighthearted banter going for a while once we met. Only when he leaned in to kiss me good-bye did I start to tense up. Would he be able to read my conflicting thoughts about Rafe through our kiss?
    At the same moment his lips lightly touched mine, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I spun around to see Ruth. I was never so thankful to have an intimate moment interrupted.
    “Sorry, guys, but I needed to catch you both,” she said, blushing at having to disturb us.
    “Don’t worry, Ruth,” I rushed to reassure her. “What’s up?”
    “I think I found something. Can you meet after school today?”
    “Of