Epilogue
EPILOGUE
ARIA
M e: Sorry, totally forgot about class. I’ll be there next time.
After sending the text to Sienna, I cursed myself for being such a wimp. It was my idea to sign up for Skye’s class, but I hadn’t had the nerve to show up for two weeks. Not because I couldn’t handle it. I loved Skye. She was a freaking genius when it came to motivation.
Working out with her made me feel amazing…
… when there wasn’t a weird, strangely aggressive man silently glaring at me the whole time.
I didn’t even know if he would be there. I didn’t know his name, his age, or anything about him. I didn’t know why he seemed to have a problem with me either. He had never said a word. The way he stared and the strange, almost angry energy around him spoke volumes.
That wasn’t the worst part. I would’ve sworn I saw him around outside of class and at Starbucks last week, standing three people behind me in line. I’m also pretty sure I spotted him on the sidewalk outside the restaurant where I had dinner with my sister two nights ago. I told myself to mention him to her to see if she got the same vibe I did. For all I knew, he mistook me for her. She had a habit of leaving devastated men in her wake after dumping them. The girl never cared much about dating the same guy for very long.
But I had chickened out, just like I was skipping out of going to class with Sienna because I got a weird feeling about him.
Instead of going to the spin studio, I headed out to my usual Starbucks to pick up an iced matcha before meeting up with Valentina. If anything, it would be nice to hang out with her for a little bit and forget how squeamish I was about my would-be stalker. I was probably going overboard by thinking of him that way. I even shook my head at myself while waiting for my drink, listening to an audiobook through my AirPods and texting Mom to tell her I was on my way.
“Aria?” I heard the barista call my name, and my head popped up before I stepped closer to the counter, reaching for the cup.
I wasn’t fast enough. Somebody snatched it up before I could touch it, somebody tall and muscular with unruly sandy hair. Somebody who smirked down at me while I stared up at him in cold shock. There were no plausible excuses this time. He was definitely following me, and now those icy-blue eyes of his sent dread skittering down my spine.
The sight of his slow, knowing smile didn’t do anything to make me feel better. “This yours?” he asked in a deep voice edged with what sounded like an English accent.
“Yes.” I held out a trembling hand, curling my fingers inward. “That’s mine. Can I have it?”
He lifted a shoulder, extending his arm, pressing the cup against my open palm. “Sorry for the misunderstanding… Sis. ”
My mouth fell open before I pulled out an AirPod with my free hand. No way had I heard him right. “Excuse me? What did you just call me?” I asked, ready to laugh.
He wasn’t laughing. There wasn’t a hint of humor in his voice when he replied, “I think you heard me, Sis . Nice to finally meet you.”
To be continued….