Page 17 of Hayden's Stalker

I do as I’m told, and she walks into the room this time. I follow her inside, feeling strange about having someone in this room with me. Nobody has been in here other than me since it was built. It’s like inviting Tatiana into my inner sanctum…except I didn’t invite her in. She just barged in uninvited.

I’m nervous as I watch her take it in and annoyed at myself for fucking up again. I could’ve just read my bedroom book instead, and Tatiana would never know this room existed.

“This was what felt weird,” she says as she turns to face me. “When you were showing me the apartment. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but something felt off between the living room andthe kitchen. The walls don’t line up perfectly, and I’m guessing I’m behind the kitchen wall right now?”

“You are.”

I should’ve known she’d put two and two together that the walls don’t align correctly. My friends all have theories, but none of them have figured it out. Ariana’s come the closest, but she thinks it’s on the other side of the kitchen. Meanwhile, Seb thinks there’s a secret upstairs where my library is.

Tatiana sighs, then says in a calmer voice, “You can’t lie to me, Hayden. You can’t hide shit from me. If I ask for a tour of your apartment, I expect you to show meeverything.”

“I’m sorry, Tati.” I also sigh, hating that I keep screwing things up with her.

Tatiana frowns at me. “Who else knows about this room?”

“Nobody.”

Tatiana raises her eyebrows, then asks incredulously, “Really? Nobody?”

“Well, my friends know Ihavea library. Obviously, the workers that put the room in know that it exists and where it is, but nobody else knows. Even my friends don’t know where in my apartment it’s located or how to get in here.”

I’m struck again by how weird it is to have someone in here with me. I never intended for my library to be this ‘big thing,’ but when I was planning it, Seb kept hassling me to know where it was going to be, so I kept it a secret. It’s nice to have somewhere to escape to where literally no one knows where I am.

Tati looks at me for a few seconds, then asks, “So, I saw the items return to their places when you close the door. How do you get out?”

I close the door, and Tati watches as I press my thumb to the pad to unlock it again. She walks past me to inspect the latch, and she’s so close as she looks at it, that I’m incredibly aware of her nearness.

I’m having thoughts about pushing her up against the shelves and fucking her when she turns to me and asks, “What about Blake? Does he know how to get into this room?”

Fucking hell.

It’s a very well-timed reminder of my boyfriend’s existence. Heat rushes to my cheeks as I once again am faced with the fact that I shouldnotbe having thoughts like this about her.

I shake my head. “No, Blake doesn’t even know this room exists. I asked my friends not to tell him about it because he’d insist on knowing how to get in.”

It’s embarrassing to admit this to her. I hate it whenever I have to give away to anyone just how bad my relationship with Blake is sometimes. He can be truly amazing when he wants to be, and a part of me tells myself that I deserve better, but some other part of me loves him despite the shit he pulls.

She nods. “Okay. Well, if there’s ever an emergency, I want you to hide in here. This is harder to get into than your bedroom. It also means you can have a little freedom if you want to shut yourself in here because I feel confident leaving you in here on your own. Anywhere else in the apartment, other than your bedroom, and I need to remain nearby.”

“Noted,” I tell her, grateful to hear there’s somewhere else safe in my apartment.

She smiles at me, and it lights up her face, dazzling me with her beauty. I can’t help but smile back at her in return.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, I need to shower and eat. Do you want to stay in here while I shower, or would you rather lock yourself in your bedroom?”

I’m not sure, and I dislike being put on the spot. “I’d rather lock myself in the bedroom near you. Though, you did say this place would be harder to get into.”

I weigh the pros and cons of being near her versus the pros and cons of being in the room she said was probably safer.

I decide I’d prefer to have her nearby and tell her, “No, I’ll go to my bedroom.”

I hate that I no longer feel safe in my own home, but I’m grateful to have Tati here for protection now. I follow her back to my bedroom, and she watches as I enter the room and close the door, locking it behind me. I head to the sofa and pick up my book to read while I wait. I’ve barely found my place when the sound of the shower running in the other room reaches me.

I groan aloud because I know she’s naked right now. I set my book down and slump back against the sofa as I blow out a breath of air.

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