Page 88 of Please Save Me

Sophia’s eyes anchored onto Mason’s as a love-sick simper tugged at the edge of her lips. Mason melted into her touch, raising her hands to rest on Sophia’s.

“You’rebeautiful,” Sophia promised. “And if you keep saying stuff like that, I’m getting a spray bottle and squirting you like a misbehavingkitten.”

Mason’s brow narrowed as her smile fell. “That’s animal abuse.”

Sophia’s posture squared for a beat before a smirk warped her lips. “Good thing you’renotan animal, Honeybee.”

Mason rolled her eyes before shaking off our girlfriend’s touch. Sophia pressed her fingers to her lips and feigned a gasp as Mason dramatically turned away and continued walking.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sophia chirped.

“To find something that doesn’t make me look like a beached whale!”

Mason didn’t dare look back at us as she almost vanished in the bustle of people.

“But what if you need help in the dressing room?” Sophia raised her voice just enough to be heard.

“We both know you don’tactuallyhelp!” A laugh softened Mason’s words, her voice gradually growing softer.

Sophia shot me a look as she hesitated for a beat before chasing Mason. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing I was out of Sophia’s line of sight. This would be the perfect time to head back to the truck.

I could claim I got lost and just wait for them in the truck. My head sloped to the side as I considered it, weighing my options. I knew vanishing would probably disappoint the girls a bit… but it was also probably best for keeping them safe. Before I could fully weigh the pros and cons of the situation, my phone buzzed in my pocket. My hand barely fit into the stiff denim of my jeans, but I wiggled the device out.

I unlocked my phone to see Sebastian had sent me a photo of my truck. That alone wasn’t too odd. But a chill ran down my spine as I realized it was in the parking lot of the mall. My mind spun as I struggled to figure out how hefound me. He’d left before the girls told me where we were going, and neither Mason nor Sophia mentioned telling him. I started to type out a message asking him what the hell was going on, but before I could, my phone buzzed again as Sebastian continued the conversation.

Parking lot. Now.

Maine was beautiful in the winter. Snow stuck to everything, causing the sun to appear brighter, and while it was cold, it was still okay to be out in. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite winter.

The sky was gray, and the gentle misting of rain was enough to make the world feel colder than it was. I wrapped my arms around myself as I ventured toward my truck. When I got close enough, Sebastian was leaning on my passenger side door, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

His piercings were out, and he wore a black suit that fit him so perfectly that it must have been custom-made. He ran a hand through his newly dark hair, slicking it back. The only proof I had that he noticed me came in the way his blue eyes meandered around my face.

A strange heat formed in my chest before sweeping up my body in a slow wave, causing my skin to tingle as I remembered how he looked at me last night.

I should have never slept with him.

I got closer, and Sebastian pushed himself off the truck before deliberately straightening his back and swaggering toward me.

As he came inches away from me, I thought he was gonna hit me. Maybe he regretted everything we did last night, and he came to give me a piece of his mind. But Sebastian stopped and parted his lips before running his tongue along his teeth and reaching forward. His fingertips brushed my cheek so gently that I couldn’t believe it was him.

After a beat of awkward silence, he pulled his hand back and used the other one to grab his cigarette. He blew the smoke from his lungs into my face, and I coughed as he held his fingers up.

“You had an eyelash on your cheek,” he explained before blowing it off his fingertips.

He blew out a breath and took another drag from his cigarette. How the fuck was he being so casual? Should we even talk about what happened last night?

“I…” My words dried as I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. “I know you didn’t come out all this way just to do that.”

A smug look plucked at one corner of his lips. “Maybe youdohave a brain.”

I tried to take his comment as a compliment rather than an insult.

“So why are you here?” What I really wanted to ask was how he knew where we were, but I was afraid of what he might say.

Sebastian may have been growing on me, but he was still a creep. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had a bug in my phone or something, but that felt like the type of thing that only existed in movies.

“I had a meeting with Dale, and I wanted to go over my findings with you.” He nodded toward my truck.

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