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My voice is flat when I finally respond, “we can’t agree on the location. I know it’s cliché, but I want a sunset wedding on the beach. Our toes in the sand. He, of course, wants a grand event with hundreds of guests,” I tell her with an eye roll. Toying with the napkin in my lap, uncertainty running rampant in my body.
Her phone buzzes, and she lifts it to check the notification before placing it back down. I thought I saw a hint of panic in her eyes, but she quickly covers it with a smile.
“O-on the beach. That sounds nice,” she stammers.
I scoff. “Oh, no. He won’t agree to that.”
She looks around, trying not to be obvious but failing miserably.
“Everything okay, Sis?” I ask, eyeing her.
Suddenly, I feel someone watching us. Obviously, my mind immediately thinks it’s the man with the dark eyes, and I search the room. But to my surprise I find someone else we know.
“There’s Andrew,” I say to Adalyn.
Our older brother is standing at the café window, watching us. His expression is stern, his lips set in a thin line. As our eyes meet, he quickly turns and walks away.
My brows furrow, and I rise, heading in the direction he went. I approach the restaurant door, shoving it open and looking in the direction I think he might have gone, but he’s vanished. I turn in circles on the sidewalk, my eyes scanning the street.
With a heavy sigh, I turn and walk back to our table, sitting down.
“As if things couldn’t get any weirder. He must haverunaway. I couldn’t see him at all.”
Adalyn lays her phone face down on the table again, shifting uncomfortably. A faraway look on her face.
“Maybe he was running late? Needing to get back to work?” Her questions a little shaky, like she’s trying to convince herself more than me.
Her words don’t match her body language.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She slaps a twenty on the table. “Yeah, I just remembered something I was supposed to do, and I’m late,” she says as she stands.
“Wait, we haven’t even gotten our food yet,” I say. “What’s wrong? Is it Andrew?”
“I really have to go. I’m sorry, Andrea. I’ll call you later, and we can finish our talk. I’m so sorry,” she says placing a quick peck on my cheek, as she does she whispers in my ear “not here, not now.” Standing suddenly and turning towards the door.
Because she’s so abrupt, she bumps into our server who’s carrying our food, nearly knocking her over on her way to the door.
All I can do is sit here, stunned.
Everyone in my life is fucking insane. I’m now more terrified and uneasy than before.
My head swivels back and forth as I walk back to the studio, carrying my leftover tea and food I got to go. Now I don’t know who I should look over my shoulder for.
Christopher?
Andrew?
The man with the dark eyes?
I realize that, with everything that happened at the restaurant, I didn’t even tell Adalyn about Mr. Dark Eyes. What a turn of events. And what scared Adalyn so much she literally ran out of the café? It seems like the more answers I try to find, the more red flags and questions I end up with.
Unlocking the studio door and stepping inside, I notice a folded piece of paper on the floor.Someone must have slipped it under the door. I lock the door behind me quickly before bending to pick it up.
Glancing back over my shoulder, I spot a black sedan parked at the curb on the other side of the street. The windows are blacked out, so I can’t even see if anyone is inside.Has that been there all day?
I try to shrug that thought off as paranoia and walk over to the reception area.
