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My midnight stalker.
I don’t even turn my head to look back at the door. Instead, I keep staring at the mirror, where the door reflects and call out for the person on the other side to come in. The knob slowly twists, and then I watch as my brother Bryson walks into the room.
His eyes search mine in the mirror, then he clears his throat as he rocks from foot to foot. “Mom and Dad are ready to go,” he murmurs. “I can’t believe it’s here.” I’m not sure if he’s trying to sound sad, but he can’t hide the excitement in his tone, and I hate that because he’s such a damn asshole.
I almost roll my eyes. Bryson and I aren’t close. I doubt he’ll even know I’m gone. Not unless he needs something from me. I inhale a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turn around to face him.
“Tomorrow…” My words trail off mainly because I want to add amaybeto the end of that.
When I see him tonight, I’m going to tell him the truth. I’m going to tell him that I’m not a virgin. I’m not his perfect present. I’ve been ruined and tainted, and then I’m going to offer that he is free to let me go.
I’ll run far, far, away.
He’ll never see me again.
Not ever.
Not in a million years.
“Tomorrow,” Bryson murmurs. “I cannot believe this is reality.”
It’s funny how Bryson is thinking about that. This is reality, and he can’t believe it because it’s not happening tohim. I want to reply something snarky to him, but I decide against it. I doubt I’ll ever see him again after tomorrow. This is probably the last conversation that we’ll ever have.
“It’ll be fine,” I lie, my lips curving up into a smile. “It’ll be fine.”
I figure if I keep repeating it over and over again, I’ll believe it. Maybe. One day. Someday soon.
Bryson shakes his head, then takes a step backward, standing in the middle of the doorway, his gaze focused on mine, wearing an expression of disbelief. It’s okay. He doesn’t need to believe me at all. It doesn’t matter.
I’ll be fine.
It’ll be fine.
I hold my breath for a moment, then let it out slowly, continuing to smile my faux smile as I move toward my brother. He takes a step to the side to allow me to pass. Once I make my way into the living room, I’m not surprised to find my entire family waiting for me.
I am a little astonished to see that Shelby is wearing a dress that is far too sexy for her age. My mom has always encouraged her to dress a little sexier than age-appropriate, but this goes beyond that. This is something I would never wear, not even to a club. It leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
I open my mouth to ask my mother what is happening but am unable to speak because my mom begins first. It’s clear that she is going to ignore Shelby’s outfit. When I really look at them, I can’t help but wonder if my mother picked the dress out… and with purpose.
Sinking my teeth into the inside of my cheek, I try to keep myself from screeching at everyone in this room. It doesn’t matter, though, because apparently, it’s time to leave. There is a knock on the hotel room door, and I watch as my father practically runs toward it and wrenches it open.
“Let’s load up. The car is here,” he announces.
Every person in my family, including Shelby, rushes around and grabs their things. I watch them, almost in awe of how quickly they can all move. It’s not very often that we are all together as a family, and to watch them rush around, it’s clear they are far more enthusiastic about this than they’ve let on.
They want this. They want to sell me off. This isn’t some necessary evil—they’re excited.
The man standing at the door waiting doesn’t move until I make my way out into the hallway. His eyes follow me, and once I close the hotel room door, he shifts in front of me, blocking me from following my family.
Tilting my head, I look up at him with wide eyes. I have no idea what he’s doing and what is going to happen to me. I don’t know what to do, and my heart slams against my rib cage, threatening to burst out of my chest and land on the floor at my feet.
“Your family is selfish,” he murmurs.
“Yes,” I whisper. “My parents are.”
He shakes his head once. “The whole group,” he states with a snort.
I could believe him, except Andrew isn’t selfish. Much like me, he stays quiet and observes what happens around him. He’s so young that he doesn’t have a voice yet, but I don’t think he’s anything like the rest of them.
