Chapter 4
Lily
I’d forgotten what it felt like to have a good night's rest.
My nights have been a little rough since the unexpected gifts started showing up, but even before that, I used to toss all night and greet mornings with anxious thoughts about half-memorized lines or the possibility of messing up on stage.
However, I didn’t wake up once last night, and now that I’m up, an unexpected sense of calm wells up in my chest. I stretch beneath my blankets, letting my muscles relax and rays of sunlight hit my face from the window.
No nightmares about phantom footsteps, no jolts at midnight from imagined knocks. My bed even feels softer, the pillow more comfortable.
And it’s all because of Will. The knowledge that a man who looks and sounds as capable as him was watching over me all night really put my mind at ease.
Will.
Our chat, him pulling me close, our kiss, my first non-stage kiss , they all come flooding back to me. I’m not sure where this man came from, not sure if I should be trusting him so openly, but a part of me can’t help it. Something about Will screams safety to me.
After brushing my teeth and running a comb through my hair, I head downstairs and don’t find Will on the couch. I open the front door and see him surveying the area from the stoop.
He turns, icy blue eyes meeting mine and lighting up as soon as he spots me.
“You look beautiful in the morning,” he says, coming inside, quickly locking the door, and pulling me to him once again. He plants a kiss on the crown of my head and I can’t help but blush at the feeling.
“Let me make you breakfast. Did anything happen last night?” I ask, pulling away as he follows me to the kitchen. He sits at the table and watches me as I move around.
“Nope. Things were quiet. Maybe my presence is a deterrent.”
“Maybe,” I laugh. I start scrambling some eggs, cooking bacon, brewing coffee, and put some toast in. A few minutes later, we’re sitting down to eat. We eat in silence for a few moments, the only sound being forks against plates.
“How long are you planning to stay?” I venture.
He sets his fork aside, meeting my gaze across the table. “As long as it takes.”
My heart flips at his blunt certainty. “What about your life? Your work? Family?”
“No family,” he says, voice low. “No current jobs.”
I want to press him, but the tension in his jaw warns me off. Instead, I murmur, “Thanks… for helping me.”
He shrugs, finishing the last of his eggs. “Needed something to do.”
I sense there’s more behind his words. “Well… I’m grateful.”
His blue eyes meet mine and he just…looks at me.
Stares for a few seconds, deep into my eyes like he’s trying to communicate with my very soul. I don’t look away because I want to hold his gaze as long as I can without squirming.
“You’re welcome, Lily,” he finally says, smiling back at me.
I rise to do the dishes and Will tells me he’s heading back to the motel to grab some stuff and that he’ll be back to walk me to rehearsal. I’m sure to lock the door behind him and I give him my number so he can text me when he’s back and I can let him in.
Thirty minutes later, I’m dressed for the day and heading downstairs when I receive a text from Will that simply reads Here.
“Ready?” I ask, opening the door.
He turns to look at me and pauses. He scans me from head to toe and his gaze feels like a touch. He’s looking at me like I’m not in jeans and a sweater but I’m in the sexiest bikini in the world. It doesn’t stop there.
He’s looking like he wants to take off the bikini with his teeth and run his tongue over me in worship of my perfection.
Stop it, Lily, I scold myself. That doesn’t make any sense.
“Red is a good color on you,” he says softly and then starts walking towards the door.
My head malfunctions for a few seconds so instead of thinking of a good response, I just follow him down the steps. We walk side by side to the theater, hands threaded together. The city morning rush has begun, cars passing sporadically, a few pedestrians here and there. His watchful gaze roams the street, like he’s daring my shadowy admirer to appear.
At the theater’s entrance, Shay spots me and hurries over. Then in the most cartoonish manner, she catches a break mid-run and her eyes bulge when she sees Will. She blinks at him and then she looks at me.
She steps closer and murmurs. “Who’s the giant?”
I hesitate. What can I tell her? “He’s…helping me out.”
She cocks her brows at me. “Helping you out? With your… other issue?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” Shay replies. “Fill me in on the details later.”
She disappears inside. Will hangs back, scanning the building’s exterior. I swallow a lump of unease. I mean how exactly do I explain him to people I work with? We enter the theater together, the smell of old stage curtains and sawdust flooding my senses.
When I get on stage, my first line is almost ironic to my situation.
Amy looks up at me from her script and shakes her head with a small frown. “You don’t have to do this.”
When I speak my line, I’m not looking at her. My body is facing hers but my eyes have strayed somewhere behind her. To the man who hasn’t stopped looking at me since he saw me this morning.
“Sometimes, we have to do things that we shouldn’t do.”
Will shifts in his chair.
It takes everything in me to concentrate on my script. Rehearsal is a blur of lines, stage blocking, and Martin barking orders. Every time I catch sight of Will in the wings, my pulse quickens. He never loses that intense focus, arms crossed, dark eyes shifting from me to the backstage corridors. It’s comforting to have him here.
Finally, I escape to my dressing room for a quick breather but once I open the door, my heart stalls.
Today, it’s a bouquet of red roses. The petals shine under the mirror lights, vibrant and mocking. No note attached.
My phone rings with perfect timing and I look to see that it’s a restricted number. Alarm bells go off in my mind. My handshakes as I pick up. “Hello?”
A low, distorted voice. “Do you like your flowers?”
My stomach churns. “Who…who are you?”
I can’t get out. The dressing room door slams open. Will strides in like a thunderstorm, eyes blazing with fury. He grabs the phone from my hand before I can react, pressing it against his ear.
“Listen, motherf—”
Whoever’s on the line cuts the call. The room is horribly still, the echo of that voice ringing in my ears. My knees threaten to buckle, and I drop onto the small stool, shock rendering me mute.
Will slams my phone on the tabletop, chest heaving. “He’s close,” he mutters. “He has to be.”
I can’t breathe properly, the fear inside me coiling tight.
“He knew when you entered your dressing room and the exact moment you saw the roses,” he continues, looking around. “He can’t be far. I’ll go after him now and-”
I grab Will’s hand and hold it tight. He instantly gathers me into his arms, stroking my hair.
“You’re safe with me,” he mutters, rubbing circles on my back.
I nod, burying my face in his jacket. The wind rattles the dressing room window, and I tense, wondering if the stalker is right outside.
Will holds me a little tighter, his breath warm near my ear. I focus on that gentle sound, letting it ground me. My pulse slows, though my hands still tremble.
Will’s body is trembling as much as mine. But I’m guessing it’s more from anger than fear. “Please, let me go after him and put an end to this,” he says softly.
“This will pass,” I blurt, because the thought of not having his arms wrapped around me right now is driving me crazy. “He’ll get bored if he doesn’t get a reaction. I don’t want you risking yourself for me.”
He exhales sharply and shakes even harder. “You’re worth it, Lily,” he mutters and tears prick my eyes.
My chest tightens at how sincere he sounds. “I’m scared,” I whisper, wishing I didn’t have to admit it.
He presses his forehead against mine, eyes closed for a fraction of a second, a rare moment of vulnerability. “I won’t let him hurt you.” He opens his eyes and looks right into my soul with those deep blues. He pushes a strand of hair away from my face.
“I will never let anyone hurt you, Lily. I swear to all the forces that drive this universe that I will keep you safe from any harm as long as you let me.”
His words feel like cold water poured over a raging fire in my chest. He me softly, more exploratory than the night before, but gentle all the same. I know that as long as I have Will by my side, I have nothing to worry about.