I felt Korbin’s body tense against my own, and his hands released me as he took a step back. I placed the milk into the fridge and turned around to face him, worried about what he might say.
“Amanda is still hanging around there?” he asked, and I nodded.
“I don’t know how I feel about it,” I admitted. “It makes my mom happy, but I feel like Amanda isn’t totally there. She—she kind of scares me, actually.”
Korbin didn’t say anything to this, but he looked away for a moment, fingers playing with the stubble on his chin.
“What is it?” I asked, sliding into an empty stool at the breakfast bar. “What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know,” he said finally. “I don’t know what to think.”
“Did something happen?” I asked. “Did something happen with Amanda?”
Korbin looked at me and then looked away, focusing on the wall instead, and that familiar terror seemed to grip my throat.
“The day we had breakfast in Denver, the morning after I proposed to you, I came home before work, and Amanda was here,” he said softly, and for a split second, I almost wanted to cover my ears and yell, because I was sure this was going to be something I didn’t want to hear.
“She was here,” I repeated. “Okay. Did you—did you sleep with her?”
Korbin laughed, which offended me further, and I glared at him. “What’s so funny?”
“We didn’t sleep together,” he said, expression slipping back into one of wariness. “But she was just—strange. It seemed like she was on drugs, or maybe off of drugs she should have been on, who knows.” He shrugged, leaning up against the counter for support. “She kept calling me Peter. And saying weird things. It’s like she didn’t know who I was or evenwhereshe was.”
I watched Korbin as all of this started to soak in, shaking me to my core. I knew something had been off about Amanda, and this only confirmed it. Something was wrong with the girl, and I didn’t trust her.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked.
“I thought it was irrelevant,” he said. “I didn’t think she’d still be hanging out with Susan.”
“Okay, but did you call her an ambulance?”
“I was going to. But she escaped and ran away. I haven’t seen her since.”
I swallowed, going to the fridge for the beer I’d just put in. I grabbed one for me and one for him, and we both took a drink.
“She found out tonight that we’re back together,” I said quietly. “Is she dangerous, Korbin? Is this going to make her snap even further?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “How about you just talk to your mom about it? She’d be able to tell you if Amanda has been or starts acting strange, right?”
“Yes,” I said. “I hope so, anyway. She seems pretty smitten with Amanda.”
“The girl needs help,” he said. “But I don’t know how to go about that. Especially if she doesn’t want it.”
We both stood in silence for a moment, occasionally taking a sip from the beer, mulling this over in our heads. There was nothing left to say. We’d have to take it as it came.
“I’m sorry talk of Amanda ruined wine and dessert,” he said finally, setting his beer aside to step up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I raised my face to meet Korbin’s, pressing my lips against his. He wrapped one hand behind my head and secured me there, holding me captive with chains I never wanted to break.
“Nothing has to be ruined,” I said, and after a moment, he took my hand and led me to the couch, draping a throw over our laps as we cuddled together under the flickering candlelight he had so generously set up for me.
“This is it,” I whispered, nuzzling into him. “You’re stuck with me, Butler. So how do you feel?”
Korbin pretended to ponder this, rubbing the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. He was silent for a long time until I finally punched him in the shoulder. He laughed.
“I feel like I’ve waited every day for this,” he said, resting his lips against my forehead. “And I have never loved another person as much as I love you.”
“Don’t make me blush.” I batted my eyelashes at him, feeling the heat rush to my cheeks as Korbin’s fingers trailed over my lips and down to my neck, teasing me. I trembled with pleasure, throwing my head back as his lips drifted over the sensitive skin on my neck. He took the wine glass from me and set it aside, pushing me down gently so he could lean over me, resting his body on top of mine. He peered down at me from above, his fingers brushing stray strands of hair from my face.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, shaking his head. “So fucking beautiful.”
