“Chloe…,” he whispered, his voice steady, serious as a vow. He leaned in, surrendering to the pull between them, feeling her insides turn to molten lava. Just an inch closer—
Clunk.The sound of shifting furniture. A shaft of lightcutting through the dark. The door scraped open. They jolted apart like guilty teenagers, then turned to see Rob, framed by the doorway, his broad body filling the space.
“I came to find you,” he said evenly, a cordial smile on his face. “Were you stuck in here?”
“Yes, thank you,” Chloe said quickly, too quickly. Her cheeks burned.
Rob took a step inside and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the hug stiffly. Rob suddenly felt like a stranger, a cardboard cutout made flesh, doing all the right things to comfort her but it was not the same. Because being down here with John had reminded her what real intimacy felt like. And it didn’t always approve of you or flatter you; it challenged you, called you out, made you feel seen in ways that were sometimes unbearable. But it was honest, and unflinching, and real.
John stood motionless, watching them—waiting for her to say something. But she hesitated. What was she supposed to say? She’d tangled herself up in half-truths and was now a spider caught in her own web.
She looked at John. Their eyes met for the briefest second, and then she looked away, afraid. That was enough. John registered the silence. His expression hardened, not in anger, but in resignation. Then he pushed past Rob and strode out of the cellar.
Chloe stood, frozen to the spot, looking up at Rob. His smile didn’t falter. Did he know what he’d just walked in on? What was going on inside his head?
21
Rob
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22
“Are you okay?” Rob asked.“You said not to follow you, but you were gone so long, and then your emotions were spiking all over the place.” He glanced down at his watch.
“Yes,” she said, “thank you for coming to find me, we got shut in.”
“I saved your dessert,” he said, holding out a small cardboard box, then opening it to reveal a cheesecake. “I know you love cheesecake.”
“Thanks,” she said, touched, despite her confusion. Then she clenched her jaw, reminding herself that it was easy to remember everything when you had a computer for a brain. She picked up John’s torch from the floor, then pulled his jacket tight around her. “Why didn’t you come sooner? I thought the watch must have lost reception.”
“I sensed you were having a nice time. I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said innocently. “I came as soon as you called for help and meant it.”
“Right. Let’s go up, it’s cold in here,” she said, striding toward the exit.
Rob put an arm around her, trying to warm her, but then he had to let go so they could walk up through the narrow passage in single file. They went past the stone imp, trapped behind bars, and Rob paused to look at it.
“What’s the significance of this statue?” he asked. “I’ve heard you talk about it.”
“It’s an old story, a college legend. The imp must stay trapped behind those bars so he can’t cause trouble,” she explained.
“But he is made of stone. How could he?” Rob asked, reaching out to test the strength of the bars.
“It’s just a story, a fable,” she said, not in any mood to explain.
Climbing up the stairs, they could hear music and laughter spilling from the bar. Everyone had drifted from dinner to Deepers for karaoke. But Chloe didn’t want to socialize. “Let’s just go upstairs,” she said quietly.
“As you wish,” Rob replied.
Back in the room, the moment the door closed behind them, she turned to him.
“I kissed John in the cellar,” she blurted out.
“Okay,” he said.
“Okay? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“What would you like me to say?” he asked, his voice as calm as ever.
