Page 95 of David's Proposal

Did he drop her off somewhere?

Is the woman still here?

All these questions remain unanswered while he goes straight to James.

They talk for a few moments, and I begin to get cold. I should head back. I’m sure my mother is looking for me.

From where I stand, I can’t tell whether she’s ready to leave or not, so I move closer to the tent but lose the visual of the foyer.

I dwell for a moment before turning my focus back to the house.

I’m too curious not to know what’s going on inside. Maybe I should just walk in and glance around.

Pretend I’m looking for the kitchen because I crave another slice of cake. This way, I’ll get a better idea of what is going on.

Shivering, I head that way.

Some people are leaving, and I should probably turn around and go to Terry, but I keep moving toward the hallway.

Casually I enter the foyer, and without paying attention to the group of men, I make a beeline for the kitchen.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Tiago is no longer there, but David and James are.

James talks, and David listens, but his eyes focus on me the second I enter his line of sight.

It’s so obvious what he does that James shifts his gaze to me as well.

I flick my eyes away at the last moment and look straight to the connecting door, sensing the men’s eyes on me.

‘That fucking worked, not.’the voice in my head mutters.

‘Shut up,’I push back.

Now I’m in the kitchen, looking lost.

A staff member is eager to help me, but I’m in no mood for more ice cream.

Going back is problematic.

It would look weird, so I’m kind of stuck.

I ask the woman if there’s a bathroom on the floor, one that I can use.

She directs me to one at the end of the corridor. And here I am, moving away from Terry, David, and, generally speaking, the entire party.

They will be gone by the time I finish navigating the maze of rooms inside Thea’s house.

I don’t even need to use the bathroom, but I enter it regardless.

I close the door, wash my hands, and run my fingers through my hair before pulling the top of my strapless dress up.

“Yeah, sure. We’ll do that,” someone says outside, and I straighten at once and look at the door.

The handle moves before I have the chance to speak, and the door opens. David fills the doorway, and I gather he knew I was here.

He slides in and locks the door behind him.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

---