The image of Adriel standing at the threshold of his range while I walked away from him flashes through my mind. The tortured look on his face felt more like a goodbye than a see you later.
No matter what it takes, I have to get back to him.
Suddenly, the air in the small bathroom turns thick. The hair on my arms stands straight up.
“Abraham?” I call out, hating how my voice shakes.
But there’s no answer. Even though I swear I can feel someone else in here with me. It almost feels like that dream—nope, not going there! I still can’t manage to get the thought out of my head. And then I hear it.
Is that breathing?
Fu-uck.
Taking a deep breath, I force down my fear and peek one eye around the shower curtain. Something moves in the shadowy corner, but when I try to force my eyes to focus on it it’s gone.
I return to my shower and try to think of literally anything else. Nothing seems to work until I start mumbling under my breath the first song that pops into my head. Why it’s “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts” by Merv Griffin, I’ll never know.
And just like that, the air thins, and whatever was causing the tension lifts.
But I still can’t bring myself to get out of the shower.
It’s not until another twenty minutes pass before I decide I should get out. Not only am I turning into a raisin, but I don’t want to be a dick. Abraham has kindly allowed me to hide here without questions, and I shouldn’t be the guest who uses up all of his hot water or racks up his water bill.
Turning off the water, I hesitate to pull back the curtain. I listen to the subtledrip, dripfrom the faucet, straining my ears to hear whatever infiltrated the space earlier. But there’s nothing. No sound. No tension. Nothing
Still, I peek out of the curtain first to see the empty bathroom. I go through my routine of drying myself off, applying lotion, then running product through my hair, and combing it out while it’s still wet. I slip on my comfiest pair of shorts and V-neck T-shirt before hanging up my towel and carrying my stuff into the living room.
By the time Abraham emerges upstairs, I’ve formed a nest on the couch of schoolwork. To include a soft throw blanket I found and a glass of water.
“I hope you don’t mind; I made myself at home,” I say, looking up from my laptop. My cheeks warm with what I can only assume is a rather unmanly blush.
“Not at all. It makes me happy to see you so comfortable in my space.”
An image of Abraham skewering me over his dick while I straddle his lap. The faint light of the TV flickers behind me. His hands leave bruises on my hips as he forces me to bounce along his length.
The crystals under my shirt heat uncomfortably, snapping me from the erotic daydream. My stomach roils in protest, just like the last time. Closing my eyes, I manage to breathe in slowly and force it down without losing my breakfast.
“Are you okay?” Abraham asks, my eyes snapping open to take in the worry pinching in his brows. “You look a little pale.”
“I’m okay,” I lie, nodding my head. “Haven’t eaten much lately. It’ll pass.”
“Let me get you some tea and biscuits.” Dropping a stack of books onto the coffee table with a quietthudhe then walks back toward the stairs, glancing back at me. “And then perhaps you can tell me what you’ve been up to the past week.”
My entire body seizes up thinking about exposing Adriel. But Abraham is my friend. He wouldn’t try to hunt down or cause harm to Adriel. He’s nothing like anyone else in this town.
And yet, the idea of saying anything makes my stomach twist into knots.
I grasp onto the crystals through my shirt tightly, using them to anchor me and strengthen my resolve. It’s safer if no one knows, and then Abraham won’t have to lie if anyone asks him what he knows.
Feeling a bit calmer, my attention is stolen by the stack of books Abraham brought for me. The smile at how well he knows me refuses to lessen. I flip through the pages of the fantasy graphic novel sitting on top; the colorful images make my lips nearly split in a wide smile. I read the backs of the other fournovels to find a contemporary, dark, vampire, and an alien romance. It’s hard not to want to dig into them immediately.
Abraham returns a few minutes later with a tray filled with his goodies and a huge grin plastered on his face. He doesn’t say anything until he’s verified I had a cup and a plate with a biscuit, and he’s situated in a nearby rocking chair.
“So, what finally made you run away?” I raise a brow in challenge, hoping to throw him off from the truth. “Don’t try to deny it. It was all anyone has been talking about all week.”
With a heavy sigh and an eye roll, I take a sip of tea to delay my story. “I finally just became fed up with everyone assuming things about me.”
“Grandma Julia?” he asks quietly.
