Page 36 of Forget Me Not

I lied again and told him I had to help Gladys prep dinner because a new guest is arriving tonight.

A new guest really is arriving, but she never asked for my help. I suppose I could turn my words into the truth and offer a helping hand. Either way, I’m certain I will burst into flames if I step foot into a church, so I had to tell him something.

“You need another drink?” Tyler asks, peering over my cup. I give it a whirl, showing him that it’s still half full.

“I’m good, but thank you. And I’m fine here if you wanna go get another.”

“One’s my limit when I’m driving.” He tosses his cup into the fire and I watch as the red plastic slowly melts into a pool of nothingness.

“So what now?” I ask him, curious about what else happens at these sorts of parties.

“We can mingle, or we can get outta here. It’s your call.”

“As exciting as all this is, I’m not sure I’m wanted here.” I nod toward the eyes glaring at me from across the fire.

Tyler follows my stare to find Christine laughing with her friends as she watches us intently. I don’t doubt for a second she’s talking about me.

“Forget about them,” he says as he wraps an arm around my waist. “They wanna talk, let’s give them something to talk about.”

In a fluid motion, he pulls my body flush to his and his mouth lands softly on mine.

It takes me a second to comprehend what’s happening, but once I snap out of the confusion, it’s actually really nice. My hands move to the back of his head, cradling it against my palms as I bring him closer, deepening the kiss.

When his tongue slithers into my mouth, my legs go weak and my pulse jumps into a frenzy.

His lips are like satin against mine and his gentleness is something I’m not used to. For a moment, I forget that we have an audience. But when Tyler breaks the kiss, I’m reminded of why it happened in the first place.

Still holding me close, I look up at him. “Was that to make someone jealous?”

“I’m here with you, Rhea. Everyone’s jealous.”

I can’t even begin to explain the feeling inside my chest. It’s warm and fuzzy, as well as satisfying. No man has ever made me feel so seen before. This is the feeling I’ve been chasing my entire life.

It’s also the one I’ve fought so hard to avoid.

I take a step back, remembering how devastating it is to have something so special jerked away from you. One minute they’re there, and the next minute they’re gone.

As happy as I feel when I’m with Tyler, it can never go beyond friendship, and even that’s a risk.

“You okay?” Tyler asks, noticing my apprehension.

Just as I open my mouth to speak, my eyes catch a glimpse of someone standing in the woods behind Tyler, staring right at me. Those eyes. Though the rest of his face is behind a black ski mask, there’s something so familiar about them. The way they watch me, as if they’re piercing my skin and cutting me open, justto get a glimpse of my soul.

I step around Tyler and begin toward the black shadowy figure. But just as he realizes I’m coming closer, he turns around and walks deeper into the woods, disappearing into the night.

“Did you see that?” I ask Tyler, pointing toward the trees.

“Probably just a lame-ass high schooler fucking around. After all, Halloween is just around the corner.”

“Yeah.” I nod. “You’re probably right.”

Still, there was something unsettling about the way he was watching only me. And those eyes don’t lie. I’ve seen them before.

This moment is all too familiar. Months of being followed and watched. Back then, I didn’t care. There wasn’t a fear of this person capturing me because he never tried, and it was just proof that it was time for me to keep moving. But here? This is supposed to be my safety net. The place I plan to call home. The threat is gone. My father is dead. So who is this man?

Unless…

Could it be Alaric? Would he really follow me to the woods and taunt me over nine hundred dollars? Or am I just being paranoid again?

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