Chapter 7 #2
The door to the room opens, and my heart races as I take in the scene before us—a dimly lit space resembling an old library, complete with dusty shelves filled with old, worn books and cobwebs that must be fake but somehow look real.
In the center of the room, a massive wooden table holds various antique-looking objects.
“Remember,” the director says, his voice echoing through the room, “teamwork is key. Good luck!”
The door slams shut behind us, plunging us into near darkness. A timer begins counting down from thirty minutes, its glowing red numbers are one of few lights in the room.
Natalie glances shyly at Tristan. “What do you want us to do, boss?”
Tristan shrugs. “Let’s split up. You go work with Serena. Amy will be my partner.” He squeezes my hand.
Her eyes widen minutely. She glances at me for a moment. Her expression looks more perplexed than jealous.
“Okay, let’s start with the bookshelf,” I say. Tristan nods and follows me.
We search in silence, the tension between us palpable. Is he constantly thinking about the kiss too? My heart pounds as I reach for a book and Tristan’s hand covers mine. The sudden contact sends shivers down my spine.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, but there’s a smirk on his face.
Damn him. He did that on purpose.
“No worries,” I say, trying to ignore my racing pulse. I run my fingers over dusty book spines, feeling for anything unusual.
“Hey, look at this,” Serena calls out, holding up an old map with strange symbols scrawled across its surface. “I think we need to find a key to decipher these.”
Excitement flits through my veins. “This is my favorite. I love figuring out codes.”
I rush over to the table where Serena lays out the map. “Okay, we need to look for patterns,” I say.
When I glance up at Tristan, he’s smiling softly, his eyes creased at the corners.
I frown. “What?”
“You’re so excited about these clues. It’s really cute.”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose. “Don’t call me cute for using my brain.”
“Never again.” Tristan chuckles. “Let’s solve this thing.”
Together, we pore over the map, analyzing every symbol and marking, trying to find a pattern. Certain symbols repeat themselves, and I quickly realize that they must correspond to letters in the alphabet.
“Tristan, look,” I exclaim. “These repeating symbols could be vowels.”
“Nice, Amelia,” he says, drawing out the syllables of my full name. I can see that he’s still amused by my excitement, and I don’t care. “She’s cracking the code, girls.” Tristan says as he sets a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “That’s my girl,” he says in a hushed voice.
I glance up at him, meeting his blue eyes, and surprisingly, they don’t hold ridicule. He looks almost…sweet, and I can’t stop the surge of warmth rushing through my veins.
Men like Tristan are dangerous.
As I continue to figure out the clues, I run my observations by Tristan. He doesn’t help, but he watches me closely. My cheeks grow warm, but I try to immerse myself in the task.
“Hey,” Tristan says softly. “About yesterday… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
My heart thumps in my chest, and I try to gauge if he’s being sincere. There’s that vulnerability in his eyes that I rarely see.
Still, now is not the time for a conversation like this.
“Hush. I’m trying to solve this.”
He chuckles, and it’s a deep, warm sound. I never thought he’d be so gentle and sweet.
This must be his magic. This is why so many women fall for him when he’s such a dick.
I return to my task, grateful for the distraction. The warmth of Tristan’s body hovers near me, but it doesn’t unsettle me nearly as much as it did yesterday.
“Got it,” I exclaim, pointing at the final decoded message. “It says the key lies beneath the lion’s gaze.”
It’s so cheesy, and I don’t even care. My stomach is fluttering.
We quickly scan the room and spot an ornate lion statue on a shelf. Tristan reaches up and retrieves a small key from under its red eyes.
“Nice work, Amelia.”
“Thanks,” I mumble as warmth seeps into my cheeks. The way he says my full name sends shivers down my spine.
With the key in hand, I rush over to the door. I’m almost there when my foot slams into something hard. I yelp as I fly into the air, bracing myself for impact, but it never comes.
Big arms wrap around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest. “Slow down there, my excited girl.” Tristan’s warm breath tickles my ear.
“Th-thank you,” I stammer, my whole body taut. Our faces are mere inches apart, and I can’t help but get lost in the depths of his blue eyes. My heart pounds in my chest, and my breath hitches as I try to process the onslaught of emotions coursing through me.
“Your foot okay?” Tristan’s voice is soft and gentle.
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“Good,” he murmurs, his gaze flicking to my lips for a brief moment before traveling back up to meet my eyes again.
The intensity in the room is palpable as we stand there, bodies pressed together, neither of us making a move to break away. My mind races.
This is only for the camera. He’s only touching me to make Harper jealous.
I can do this.
Tristan’s grip around me tightens slightly, and I can’t help but notice the way the muscles in his arms flex against my skin. His scent envelopes me, intoxicating and musky.
“Amelia.” His warm lips brush against my cheek ever so gently.
My thoughts scatter like startled birds. I push away from him, desperately trying to regain control over my racing pulse. “We need to get out of here before the time runs out.”
With trembling hands, I grasp the key tightly and insert it into the lock. As I turn the key, the door opens with a loud click, signaling our victory in the escape room challenge.
“We did it,” I shout.
“You did it,” Tristan says. He hesitates for a moment. “Tomorrow’s our next one-on-one date. Are you ready for it?”
The huskiness in his voice makes my skin heat. Our next one-on-one is going to be the “romantic” date. Serena’s was three days ago, and they had a candlelit picnic on the football field.
I’m not ready, but I have tonight to prepare myself mentally. I can’t soften toward him.
He needs to stop being so damn sweet.
I’m going to get my revenge before this is over. Nothing Tristan says or does will stop me.