Page 67 of As They Are
But then there was a sound of something falling, and then footsteps. Without thinking, I stepped in front of Wren and looked around.
“Jesus,” she said, her hand now on my shoulder. “Is this place haunted?”
“If Henrietta and Marjorie were dead, I’d say yes. But ghosts aren’t real.”
“So, then a real person did that?”
“On the other hand, maybe we should blame it on ghosts.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t alone,” she replied. “Thank you for coming to check on me.”
“Yeah, of course.” My mind was barely functioning, but the healthy dose of fear gave me enough of a reminder of my rules. “I bet it was someone sneaking in. A lot of people take walks on the square at night.”
“Really? Is it safe to walk outside when it’s dark?”
“Have you been at the square at night?”
She shook her head. “I got here right as the sun was setting.”
“Come with me. You should see this.”
I led her outside. The square was fully lit up as it usually was, giving the air an incandescent glow. The lights lined each building, something that had only started when I moved in.
“Whoa,” she said. “This is incredible.”
“It’s mostly safe, but it makes it feel magical here.”
“Like the sign?”
“Like the sign.”
“This almost makes me forget about all of my problems.”
“We should get some sleep and figure out the rest in the morning.”
“I still owe you food. What about breakfast?”
I rarely ate breakfast in the diner. I preferred to make something for myself, but if she was offering, I wouldn’t turn her down.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there at eight.”
“It’s a date,” she said with a smile before beginning to walk away.
My heart skipped a beat at her words. “Don’t you mean a fake one?”
“Right.” She didn’t turn around. “See you for our fake date, Henry!”
I took a shaky breath and tried to get my head back on straight.
This was another reminder that, when it came to her, I was absolutely and totallyfucked.
And it would take everything in me not to break my own rules.
14
WREN
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