Chapter 13 #3
He follows me up from the beach and onto the tiny path leading into the small slice of woods.
Through the lush branches above, the sky is sprinkled with stars.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars at once before.
A sudden urge to lie down and stargaze hits me.
It’s mesmerizing. I stop and stare at them, blinking down at me.
“I really hope you’ve seen stars before, Collins.”
I half-turn. He’s standing a couple of feet away, studying me. “Are you still here?”
A teasing sparkle flashes in his eyes. It’s blinking like the stars, and a new staring contest starts between us. The tall trees enclose us, making it feel like we’re standing in a closed space, almost like we’re back in the lighthouse again.
The teasing fades for a brief moment in the green of his eyes as they race over my face. Once again, I feel like he’s looking right through me, like he can scrutinize every thought and every feeling I’ve ever had.
Afraid of what he might see, I turn abruptly and pick up my pace again, relieved when I spot the small street and Liz’s house.
The light is still on in Margot’s windows and, without turning to see if he’s still following me, I march up to her house.
She opens the door in a pink bathrobe and with her white hair curled up on hair rollers.
“Oh, you’re early.”
“I am?”
“Yes. When I was young, we never got home before midnight.”
I smile at her. “I’ve only watched a movie, Margot.”
“When I was young, we never got home before midnight after watching a movie.”
My smile grows. “I guess it’s different now, then.”
“Sure is.”
Something over my shoulder catches her attention.
“Oh, you have company. Good evening, Benjamin.”
I follow her gaze. Benjamin is standing by Margot’s mailbox, Audrey sitting at his feet. Why is he still here? I sigh at the sight of him.
“Unfortunately,” I mutter.
“Good evening, Margot.”
Why does he sound so friendly all of a sudden? Ugh, he’s such an ass-kisser.
“Thank you for walking June home.”
I’m about to tell her that he absolutely did not walk me home when I hear him again.
“Of course. I don’t want her to walk home all by herself. I’d never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to her.”
Margot beams at him, clasping her hands together. “Aw, aren’t you just the sweetest. Our June really is something extra.”
“She sure is.” His voice is low and sincere. Heck, he’s a good actor. It’s disgusting to witness. I roll my eyes only for him before turning back to Margot.
“Have you had a nice evening?” I ask her.
She nods. “Very, thanks to the cronuts.” She darts a look over my shoulder again. “Have you ever tried cronuts, Benjamin?”
“Cronuts? No, I don’t think I have. What is it?”
“Then you’ve missed something.” She turns back to me again. “June, what is it exactly?”
I take a deep breath and do my best to sound casual, like I’m not at all bothered by standing here late in the evening, talking to Benjamin Reyes about cronuts. “It’s a mix between a croissant and a donut.”
“Sounds . . . interesting,” Benjamin deadpans, and I know he’s taunting me. I bet he doesn’t even eat pastries. He probably only drinks blood.
“It is. It’s delicious. June, you should bring Benjamin to the bakery and let him try.”
“Yeah, you should,” Benjamin agrees, and it takes all my willpower not to turn around and flip him off. Flip the smugness off his smug face.
“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” I murmur. “Is Cactus still awake?” I’m done standing here being taunted by Benjamin Reyes.
“Of course, here she is.” Cactus’s furry face peeks out, giving me a dubious look. But then she spots something behind me and takes off. Benjamin crouches to rub her head. “Hey, girl. Look who it is, Audrey,” I hear him whisper. I suppress another eyeroll and swing back to Margot.
“Thank you so much, Margot.”
“Anytime, sweetie.” Then she does something that makes me inhale sharply.
She reaches out her hand and softly grazes my cheek.
It’s a simple movement. Simple but tender, and it takes me completely off guard.
The only one touching me like this is my mom, and I can barely remember the last time I saw her.
Margot gives me a peculiar look. “Honey, are you okay?” That’s when I feel something wet on my cheeks. I wipe it away quickly and plaster a smile on my face.
“I’m perfectly fine. Just tired.” I take a step back. “We’ll let you go back to your evening now. I assume you want to go to bed.”
Margot scoffs. “Bed? Darling, I’m in the middle of season two of Sex and the City. I will at least watch two more episodes before I go to sleep.” This time I smile for real.
“Who’s your favorite?”
Her answer comes immediately. “Samantha. Who’s yours?”
“Same.”
She gives me a knowing smile.
“Good night, Margot. And again, thank you.”
“Good night, honey. Sleep tight.” Her eyes linger for a moment on Benjamin, standing with both dogs at his feet now. “He’s very handsome,” she says for my ears only.
I look surprised. “Is he? I haven’t noticed.”
She narrows her eyes on me, contemplating something. But all she finally says is, “He is.”
Benjamin watches me thoughtfully as I walk through Margot’s garden. I try to stifle a yawn but fail.
“Tired?” he asks as he hands me Cactus’s leash. I yawn again.
“No.”
A deep chuckle echoes through the night. “You’re really stubborn.”
“Thank you. You’re really a pain in the ass.”
“Thank you.”
I despise myself for almost smiling at that. I stride up the path, onto the porch, and know without turning that he’s following me. When I’ve unlocked the front door, I spin around. I expect the smug face again, but he’s actually not looking at me but at the garden.
“You’ve really changed this place.”
I follow his eyes over the cleaned flowerbeds, the cut lawn, and the newly planted flowers. I bet he doesn’t like the fact that I’ve changed a few things. An intruder who makes changes is rarely welcome in small towns.
“Yes,” I say, prepared for some sort of snarky comment about it.
“It’s nice. I like it.”
My eyebrows jump. What? I tilt my head in suspicion. What is he getting at?
“Yeah, sure. You like something I’ve done. You stalked me back here to tell me you liked what I’ve done to this garden. Sure. And I’m a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“I stalked you back here to make sure you got home safe. And I do like what you’ve done to the garden.”
I’m too tired to try to understand and keep up with his weird mockery. I just want to go to bed. “Yeah, okay, sure. Good night.”
“Good night, Collins.”
It’s when I’ve closed the door and peeked out the window to make sure he’s gone that I notice I’m still wearing his hoodie.