In My Dreams (First Tracks Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

sliding glance made me think he wasn’t too pleased to
see Jen and me walking together. Was there any chance in hell he’d warm up to
me?
    Jen peeked into the room and turned back to us. “He’s
sleeping.”
    Panic shot through me. It must have shot right onto my face
because she grabbed my upper arm.
    “He’s just sleeping. He’ll be in and out a lot right now.”
    I nodded, knowing my voice wouldn’t work right. I glanced at
his parents, wondering what we were going to do now. So we stood there for a
full silent awkward moment before Elaina touched Tom’s arm and he cleared his
throat.
    “We should thank you, Avery,” he said. “For…being there for
Marcus.” His voice sounded heavy with emotion but his face and body were stiff,
so I couldn’t honestly tell if he was sincerely thanking me or his wife put him
up to it. If only I could hear what Marcus thought.
    Could I just be reading him wrong?
    “Well… of course.” I wanted to add that I loved him, but
that was something I couldn’t say to them. Not now, or like this.
    After another painful pause, Tom said, “He’ll be here a
while longer, then rehab.”
    I nodded; that was expected. But why was Tom pointing that
out? Because they planned to take him back home to Colorado? That made
sense…and scared me. 
    I searched for a way to respond when I heard a noise from
inside the room. Jen glanced  back in. She seemed to be in charge, like a body
guard for Marcus. I wonder how she ended up in that role.
    “He’s awake and motioning…” She turned back into the room,
then added to us, “Yes, everyone.”
    I followed his family in, hoping that “everyone” meant me
too.
    Marcus was pretty groggy, but that gave me a chance to study
him. His lashes were so long with his eyes closed. When he’d been in my mind,
his hair was longer but his family or the staff cut it at some point, probably
due to his head injury. His full lips looked so sexy and kissable. I even liked
the blond stubble on his jaw.
    His eyes opened and slowly moved from person to person. He
noticed me last and flashed a smile. Everything inside me burst wide open and I
gave him a smile back. I wanted to grin my biggest grin but felt shy in case
his family members turned my way.
    A rustle behind me caused me to turn, almost bumping into
someone carrying in a food tray. And just like that, the rest of the day turned
into a routine of different people checking on Marcus, meals, and rest. There
was a lot of talk with different doctors and specialists. I stayed in the
background, wanting to hear everything but feeling strange about being with his
family. They didn’t really understand how close I felt to Marcus, and how much
I cared about him. How could they? His parents wrote me off as crazy before,
and I couldn’t blame them for that. So I sat in the corner and listened.
    Jen and Elaina got up to leave and both gave me an
encouraging smile on their way out. Maybe Elaina was starting to like me. The
staff had cleared out again too, leaving just Marcus, his dad, and me. It was
probably around dinner time, or later. Just now I noticed it’d gotten dark
outside. It’d been a long day.
    “So, Avery, you’re an English major?” Tom asked suddenly.
    I formed a word but didn’t speak. My pause was long enough
to make me feel guilty over nothing, and I caught a look of concern on both of
their faces.
    “You should be in class, not here,” Tom said, making it sound
more like a crime than a personal choice.
    “Ave? Is there class right now?” Marcus asked, and I could
see the gears turning even if I couldn’t hear them anymore. But why was he
siding with his dad? I ground my molars before answering, working out some
anger.
    “There is,” I said lightly, trying to sound like it wasn’t a
big deal. It wasn’t. Not compared to being here for Marcus. “Well, there’s
class but it’s a new term starting.”
    I hadn’t even checked my grades for winter term. Marcus
landed in my head in