Page 115 of Love Me in the Dark

“You’re welcome, Harley. I told you to come by anytime.” His voice was soft. Too soft. It felt like he knew my struggles when in reality I knew he didn’t.

“I know. Thank you all the same.”

“I thought you were gone for Spring Break.” He took a giant bite of pizza and chewed; eyes trained on me instead of the movie.

“And I thought the same about you. I guess we were both wrong.”

Why did he keep looking at me? Was there sauce on my cheek or something?

I swiped at my face self-consciously and came up with nothing.

“Why are you looking at me?”

His response was only the shake of his head before he finally turned to the movie. We sat in silence eating and watching Tom Holland be the best damn Spiderman there ever was. Every so often Payton would sigh. I had a feeling she had a crush on him. Not that I blamed her. He was fine and hid a fantastic body underneath his suit.

But I couldn’t help but compare him to the man on my right. Where Tom was slim with more of a swimmer’s body, Slade was bigger in every way, and all to my liking.

I knew I shouldn’t be feeling that way about my neighbor, but I couldn’t help it. Especially after he fed me some of the best pizza I’d ever had. Was it because I was starving or simply that good of a pizza, I couldn’t tell?

Payton threw a blanket over out laps. I sank deeper into the couch enjoying the warmth and the company on both of my sides. The next thing I knew I was blinking my eyes open to a dark, unfamiliar room with the heavy weight of an arm pinning me to the couch. Instantly, I knew it was Slade. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d had that same arm around me in the water or if it was because I was becoming attuned to his presence.

The need to get out of there erupted in my veins. I couldn’t stay here any longer. I needed out and away. Sliding out from under his arm, I took a look at the two of them both passed out with dreamy smiles on their faces before I tip-toed out of the room and out of the house.

The craving to run overwhelmed me. My feet were accustomed to hitting the pavement daily and with three days of laying around they were itching to put a few miles underneath them. Not bothering to change, I started to jog down the dark and desolate street. There was something about running at night that called to me. I liked that the world was silent around me. It was the only time I felt at peace with the world.

It didn’t take me long before I was at the beach. This time I kicked off my shoes and socks, and let my toes curl into the cool sand. Sitting down, I stared out into the dark night and listened as the waves crashed against the shore, and watched as the stars twinkled above me. While I didn’t like living in San Sebastian, I did love the beach here.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Slade’s deep voice sounded from behind me.

I didn’t bother to turn around as I spoke. “You are a true stalker, you know that?”

“Seeing as you come here every night, it wasn’t hard to deduce where you might be.” He sat down beside me, and I could feel a hum coming of him even with several inches between us.

“Just say whatever it is that is bubbling up inside of you.” I knew whatever it was I wasn’t going to like it.

“You didn’t run the last couple of days.”

“You’re still showing me those stalker tendencies. And how do you know? Are you sitting up in your room every minute of every day watching for me?” I kept looking out at the water wishing it warm. What I wouldn’t give to be floating while looking at the stars while pretending I was swimming in them.

“Because you only run at night, and mostly once it’s dark. What I’m not going to tell you is how I know when you leave. Are you going to tell me why you haven’t been running?”

“Why would I when you won’t tell me how you know when I leave? Did you put a tracker in my shoes?”

He laughed deep and hard. Laying back in the sand. “Not even remotely.” We were silent for a long moment before he sat up and scooted closer. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Talk about what? I’m fine. I just didn’t feel like running.”

“But you did after waking up at my house in the middle of the night?”

“So what? There’s no law saying I can’t run at three in the morning. I felt like running so I did. If I knew you would magically wake up and join me, I would have just gone home.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, and you know it. You could have stayed.”

“I already imposed enough. Your sister would get the wrong idea about us if I stayed.”

He jerked back before he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his bended knees. “Payton liked you. She told me so in the kitchen when we were getting the food. But make no mistake it was me who found you first.”

“Oh, I won’t forget. It wasn’t your sister who stalked me down to the beach,” I sighed and turned to look at him for the first time since he arrived. “You don’t have to keep following me.I promised I wouldn’t go back into the water, and I meant it. Even though I hate my life, I’m not suicidal.” I traced shapes in the sand with my finger. “You should have stayed all nice and warm inside your house.”