Page 33 of Curses and Cornstalks
The exit comes far too soon for my liking, even quicker than last time, but Atticus doesn’t let go of my hand.
“Cassie,” he says, grabbing my attention.
He spins me around to face him, our bodies only inches from one another. I gaze up into his dark eyes beneath the burlap, warmth blooming in my stomach and sinking lower, and my lips part slightly. Words evade me, but I want to say something.Anything.
“The sensible part of me warns you to never return. To stay away from this field,” Atticus explains steadily, not breaking eye contact. “If the townspeople find out, it might not bode well for you. But the selfish part?—”
He pulls me closer still until my chest brushes against his, and I blanch. The heat low in my stomach churns, growing stronger at his nearness. My fingers tingle, and a throb kickstarts between my thighs that has my cheeks heating.
There’s no way I’m turned on right now…
But even as I think the words, I know they’re a lie.
Atticus is mysterious and charming and—weirdly—fucking sexy.
When his words pick back up, my heart skips a tiny beat.
“The selfish part of me asks you to return,” he goes on, his tone heavy and weighed with despair. “Forever is even longer when you spend it alone, and your occasional company wouldbe most appreciated. I’ll understand if you choose not to return though.”
Come back to see him?As if that was ever a question.
I don’t think I could stay away if I wanted to…
My thoughts are hazy, my pulse racing faster with every second that ticks by, and I nod automatically.
“I’ll come back, Atticus,” I assure him. “I promise.”
His eyes crinkle slightly, and I can only imagine him smiling beneath his burlap mask. “Then, until we meet again.”
He drops my hand and takes a step backward, watching me for a moment before turning and heading back into the field. I watch him go, a whisper of longing already forming in my chest.
When he’s finally out of sight, I turn and hurry to my car, my mind racing nearly as fast as my heart. And then I sit there, heart pounding, as I try to catch my breath.
It won’t be tomorrow, or maybe even the next day, but as I drive away from the haunted cornfield, I know one thing to be true.
It won’t be long before I see Atticus again.
Chapter Fourteen
Cassie
Returningto farm-life and pretending like everything is fine is even harder the second time I leave Atticus behind.
Nothing is fine, not by a long shot.
While I’m here on the farm, free to come and go as I please, Atticus is miles away, unable to do anything aside from exist. Day in and day out, rain or shine, he’s there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And I don’t know how to help him.
I go through the daily motions, helping with chores and anything else Aunt Bonnie asks of me, while my mind is far away, lost in the cornstalks. Everything around me lacks vibrancy, like I’m looking at life through a cloudy lens. It’s all just a task I must complete before I can do what I really want: return to the haunted cornfield.
It’s not just curiosity anymore; it’s obsession.
The scarecrow and his curse consume my mind and haunt my dreams.
