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“Always,” I reply, my hands still working automatically to fold the shirts into neat piles. “What can I say? I like to keep busy.”
Gary chuckles, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I noticed that about you. You’re always so focused.”
His comment brings a faint blush to my cheeks. It’s nice to be noticed by him, even if it’s just for my dedication to my job.
“Anyway,” Gary continues, “I was wondering if you had any plans on Saturday?”
Glancing at him, I’m surprised by the question. “Just a date with the tv, why?”
“You know that new restaurant that just opened up around the corner? I heard it’s really great, and I was wondering if you’d like to go there with me. You know, as a date.”
His words hang in the air for a moment as I process what he just said. My heart races but not from excitement – more like panic. It was completely out of nowhere. I wasn’t expecting this.
“Um, I...” Trying to organize my thoughts, I steal another look at Gary.
“Is that a yes?”
“Gary, I...” Taking a deep breath, I try to push the image of Ciarán out of my mind. He has no place ruining what could be the start of something with the man I’ve been pining over for two years. “Yes, okay. Let’s do it. Sounds like fun.”
He grins. “That’s great! I promise we’ll have a fantastic time.”
Smiling while my nerves ping all over, I feel the darkness of Ciarán’s whatever the hell it was, vanish as I think about Gary and how much I’ve been waiting for this opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to it,” I reply, turning my attention back to folding the shirts on the counter. “What time?”
“I’ll pick you up at seven. You still in that cute house with the pink bushes?”
Nodding as I remember him dropping me off after that barbecue where the photo was taken, I’m secretly thrilled he remembered.
As I work, I can feel Gary’s gaze on me, but I try to keep my face as straight as possible, not wanting to show him how nervous I really am. This was so sudden that I wonder what brought this on. Not wanting to think too hard about it, I just feel incredibly lucky that this opportunity has landed in my lap, and I can’t screw it up. I can’t let this mess with Ciarán fuck up my chance with the guy I’ve wanted for so long. Somehow, I’m going to have to find it in me to push Ciarán entirely from my mind, knowing he isn’t able to hurt me anymore. I’ll never see him again, and that’s a good thing. It feels like my life is finally falling into place as I peek up at Gary occasionally while we work, and the excitement to be going on a date with him starts to bubble up. Mentally, I sift through my closet, wondering what I can wear that will wow him.
12
CIARÁN
The sun hovers in the sky as I tail Summer’s car on the way back from her work. Day after day, night after night, I watch her. Sneaking glances at her in work when she is oblivious to my presence. She clearly has believed that I’ve moved away and can’t hurt her anymore, which fits into my plans for her nicely. My obsession with her grows deeper, a gnawing hunger that consumes me.
Holding back on the side road as her car pulls into the driveway of her quaint little house, the hunger inside me twists tighter, fueled by possessiveness and desire. Waiting a couple of minutes, I sail past her house and park up in my favorite spot under the low-hanging trees. My car is noticeable, and I make a note to grab something less likely to catch attention.
Lighting a cigarette, I lean my head back, my eyes locked on her house like a predator stalking its prey. The smoke fills my lungs, but it does nothing to quell the heat that courses through my veins.
Flicking the ash onto the sidewalk through the crack in the window, my mind reels with thoughts of her. The curve of her hips, the taste of her lips - memories that haunt my every waking moment. I know this isn’t right; I’m dangerous, and she deserves better. But I can’t seem to let her go.
Taking another drag, feeling the weight of my actions pressing down on me, I have a moment of doubt. I shouldn’t be here, lurking outside her home like some twisted stalker. But something about her calls to me, a siren’s song that I can’t resist.
Running a hand through my hair, the cuts on my arm pulling painfully, I know I should walk away, leave her to live her life without the darkness that follows me wherever I go. But the thought of her with someone else, with that asshole in the photo, her beautiful body entwined with his, makes my blood boil.
No, I won’t walk away. Not tonight. Tonight, I’ll watch her from the shadows, feeding this infautation that binds me to her.
Dropping the cigarette through the crack, I immediately light up another one. Checking the clock, I’ve been here for over an hour already. I actually have somewhere else to be right now, but for some reason, I can’t tear myself away from sitting here outside Summer’s house.
Frowning, I watch as a black car pulls up to her house, and my heart clenches tight in my chest. A tall, blonde-haired man steps out and closes the car door before he heads up Summer’s garden path.
“Who the fuck are you?” I snarl, my fists clenching. Rage courses through my veins, fueled by jealousy and possessiveness. The mere idea of someone else touching her, claiming her, is unbearable.
He knocks, and moments later, she opens the door. She looks stunning with her hair cascading down her back in loose waves and her body wrapped in a delicate, form-fitting dress that stops at her knees.
“Hey,” he says. “You look great.”
