Page 78 of David's Love

His eyebrows move up.

“He was with me the night you invited me and my ‘boyfriend’ upstairs at the club.”

“Oh… Yeah, yeah. I remember that. I don’t recall him, though.”

“I don’t think you wanted him upstairs,” I say with a smile.

“That’s true,” he admits casually. “So what happened?” he asks, his curiosity ignited.

He leans back, his arms crossed over his chest.

I put his sandwich on a porcelain plate and mine on another and slide his food in front of him.

I claim the seat across from him.

“He resurfaced,” I say, not looking at him, about to take a bite.

I fill my mouth with food and lift my gaze.

“It’s not only that,” I say while he studies my face. “He tracked me down online.”

A flicker of worry flashes through his gaze.

“It’s one of those things,” I mumble around my food.

I tell him the entire story.

What some male students do.

How I may have been targeted by this guy.

Or maybe more people like him.

I show him the messages I received just before the intruder hinted he was on the back porch.

The more details I give him, the more his frown deepens.

He runs a tense hand through his hair and seems to have lost his appetite.

“Motherfucker,” he mutters quietly.

“I don’t think I was in real danger,” I say, trying to defuse the tension.

He shoots me a stern look that makes my throat dry and prompts me to put my food down.

I finish chewing and swallow hard.

“What I meant was––”

He cuts me off with a curt gesture before he speaks.

“What you think it was and what it was in reality may be two different things, Elizabeth. Yes, stupid guys like him do stupid things like this, but let me tell you something. There was an opportunity to harm someone, and he was about to accomplish that. Taunting you and playing with you is not as innocent as it seems. He wasn’t out there stalking you because there was nothing in it for him. He would’ve confronted you sooner or later. And it could’ve happened tonight. I don’t know what triggered him, but he has been consistent in his pursuit. How could you not tell me about him?”

“I didn’t think it would come to this.”

He doesn’t seem pleased with my answer.

“I thought I could handle it,” I say in a softer voice. “Some things are just not up to you.”

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