Page 99 of Chasing After You

“Dorian,” I hissed as we walked toward the gate, “this is too much. Can’t we just sit in the main cabin?”

He didn’t slow. “Nope.”

I tugged on his sleeve. “I’m serious.”

He finally turned to me, expression soft yet stern. “You belong next to me. That means you belong in first class. Don’t argue with me about that.”

I made a face but didn’t press further. Arguing wouldn’t change his mind—it would only make him double down.

And I kind of wanted to work towards that reward he mentioned the night before…

Once we boarded, I understoodwhyhe insisted, because goddamn. The seat wasn’t just a seat. It was a damn fancy-personpod. I had more legroom than I’d ever seen in my life, a soft, full-sized blanket, and a little dish of nuts placed in front of a screen that had like a million movies and TV shows to choose from.

Dorian sat beside me, already reclined, long legs stretched out, a glass of something amber in hand. His fingers brushed my knee. “Relax, angel.”

“I can’t. This is awesome, but I feel like I’m going to be told that I’m in the wrong seat at any moment.”

He snorted. “Don’t worry, if they do that, I’ll get them fired,” he said nonchalantly, making me gasp.

“Don’t you dare! That’s terrible. You can’t just joke about stuff like someone’s livelihood or—”

“Did I say I was joking?” He raised his brow, waving over the nearby flight attendant. My heart fell into my stomach.He wouldn’t.

When the woman approached, smiling courteously, he said, “Coke. Water, too.”

“Please!” I added, getting a polite nod from her before she turned away.

“You’re so cute,” he mumbled into his hand.

I turned my face towards the screen in front of me, pretending to care about which movie to select.

Dorian rested a hand lightly on my thigh beneath the blanket between us and went back to reading something on his phone.

When the flight attendant returned, carrying a bougie glass bottle of water and a glass of Coke—aglass, not a plastic cup—he tilted his head to wordlessly instruct her to place both on my tray table.

I thanked her and turned to Dorian after she left. “One of these isn’t for you?”

He smiled. “No. I knew you’d want the Coke, but the water is to make sure you stay hydrated.”

“Thank you…” I blushed, touched at how he always anticipated my needs before I even knew what I needed.

I watched the clouds drift by out the window, grounded by his touch. Maybe I didn’t belong in first class—but if I belonged tohim, maybe I’d learn to stop questioning it.

Maybe it was okay to want nice things.

* * *

The rented car drove down the long, curving drive like it was heading straight into a memory I’d buried years ago.

Manicured lawns stretched wide under a sweltering Florida sky, the thick, prickly grass too green, too neat—like someone had pressed it all flat with a ruler. The main house sat beyond an iron gate that opened automatically as Dorian pressed a button on his phone.

Even behind the perfectly trimmed hedges lining the drive, I could already feel the weight of old ghosts staring at me, haunting me with memories I didn’t want.

My stomach twisted.

“I forgot how big it was,” I muttered, voice thin.

Dorian didn’t respond right away.