Page 28 of Deranged Imposter

I can’t deal with these two. I pick up my pace back to the cabin, leaving them several steps behind to argue. I sniff the air and smile contentedly. It smells like recently trimmed grass, the freshness lingering in the wind, and a trace of musty animals.

The breeze carries the smell of firewood and food through the trees. Lights from the cabin and its surrounding area guide me back safely.

The other two group members make use of the large space behind the cabin. Three pots of deliciousness are cooking above the contained but roaring flames, yellow lights hanging across tree branches, and lawn chairs neatly placed by the foldable table.

“You’re a lucky son of a—” the nicer couple simultaneously squawks, identical sly smirks forcing their expressions to become worrisome.

Two people open the cabin’s back door and skip onto the patio. It’s Miss Aquarius and her friend, Nate. The cabin is the university’s property, authorized to be used by students who signed up for bookings. So, they shouldn’t be here.

Our group reserved this spot for the next two days. With the progress we’re making, I’d say we can leave tomorrow if they don’t want to use the last day as a vacation.

Miss Aquarius flips her hair from her off-shoulder top while Nate gives a tentative wave. I wave back and nearly miss the shadow looming behind me.

I smell Mikah’s cologne before I see him, but my heart still skips a beat as heat burns my cheeks. If the assumptions about us are true, then I’ll need to brace for rounds of teasing. The nice couple tones down their wiggling brows, and the broken-up couple laughs once they join and see us.

“I didn’t know you were friends with them,” I note and rub my neck, splitting the jumpy nerves.

Mikah cocks his head, his hand creeping on the dip of my spine. I try not to lean into his touch. That woman’s teasing makes me self-conscious of my actions, second-guessing if I’m crossing lines when we’ve always been physically affectionate.

He utters dryly, “They were following me.”

“That’s scary,” I mumble and swallow a joke. “Should I be worried?”

“I’ll handle it.”

That’s the cue for me to worry. Usually, Mikah brushes it off with an offhand comment to make me laugh. But the grim churn in his eyes, dark like caffeine in his favorite mug, stirs slowly akin to the clock’s key winding his fingers tighter on my body.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, jostling my doubts to the back of my mind to bring them up later in private.

“I missed you,” he confesses quietly, his chest bumping my shoulder as he steps closer.

It’s only been one day. He can survive more if he puts in the effort; independence is vital for adults to not feel suffocated.

Although, I’m fine with seeing him every day.

He’s pleasing to the eye. Big muscles, cool ink, sharp features, spellbinding eyes, and a voice like thick honey. He’s my best friend with a mountain of inside jokes and playful banter. We create new memories with every second.

I could never get tired of him.

“And?” I quirk a brow and smirk, gloating that I caught him in a stump.

Part of me was waiting for him to show up after seeing he was upset with an attempted blank façade. His body language betrayed him when my shoes were on my feet and my hand on the doorknob. I fought his strong fingers from my backpack during check-in, and the airline employee turned red from containing her amusement.

He wanted me to take his private jet or his family’s helicopter. He reasoned that my health was important to him; airplanes were filthy with bacteria from some uncivilized asshole sneezing without covering their mouth, and I’d be surrounded by people who don’t wash their hands after restroom usage.

I judged him so hard with my unimpressed gaze. In return, he accused me of wanting to smell feet.

He snuck his bank card into my wallet, and I hadn’t noticed until after I was seated on the plane.

Mikah reveals with a smug grin, “I bought you a Sicilian almond Paris-Brest and peach mille-feuille.”

My brows scrunch up as incredulity spins a cobweb in my stomach, but excitement pierces through them.

How he got them here in pristine condition - Mikah is meticulous about food presentation - is a genuine mystery. He either flew with his jet or helicopter, cutting out an hour or more of wasted time.

Miss Aquarius and Nate likely hopped onto their private plane as well because Mikah hates strangers on his property.

Speaking of which, what are those two doing here?

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