I nod my head, but I’m pretty sure Henry’s family thought the same about him.
“What else? What about now, when he’s not around?”
“I… I’m going to sound insane,” I say.
“Try me.”
“All I can think about is how long it’s going to take him to get here, because I want to see him again. Not that I haven’t enjoyed spending time with you. It’s just… I don’t know what it is, but I want to be with him.” It feels good to say it out loud.
“That’s not insane. That’s love,” Mabilia tells me.
“I haven’t known him long enough to be in love with him,” I insist, because that would be crazy.
“Love doesn’t have a timeline. When you love someone, you just love them. It’s a soul-deep thing, not a knowledge-based thing,” she says.
Is she right? Can love at first sight really exist?
“When did you know?” I ask, turning the conversation from me to her.
“The first time I saw him, right here at this bar. He refused to serve me because I was underage.” She laughs.
My eyes widen. “What did you do?”
“Went home with him. But he didn’t know who I was, which made it easier. When people learn our last name, they get scared. As they should, but still, it’s not great for dating.”
“I could imagine,” I say, and again the hairs on the back of my neck lift. I look around and find the very reason for them. My hands shake as my eyes connect with his. Mabilia follows my gaze and then looks at me. I can’t let her get mixed up in this mess.
I take my phone out of my pocket and send Neo one last message.
Me: I just want to say thank you. For being so kind to me and, well, for everything. At the risk of sounding insane, I think I’ve fallen in love with you. I know it’s crazy, but I wanted you to know.
My hands shake as I press send. Then I place the phone on the bar and stand. “I’ll, ah, be right back.”
“Where are you going?” Mabilia asks.
“I just need some air. I’ll be back,” I repeat.
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, stay here and order us another drink. Please,” I plead with her.
I cannot let Neo’s sister get hurt because of me. I won’t let anyone else get a dose of Henry’s anger. It’s bad enough that I have to face it. But I ran. I knew it was coming.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Something is wrong. I read Caitlyn’s message and immediately knew it. When I try to call her, it goes through to voicemail. Before I can try Mabilia, her name is flashing on my screen.
“Where is she?” I ask.
“He’s here,” my sister says. “I’m following her.”
“Following her where? Where the fuck is she, Mabilia?” I yell as my foot pushes down on the accelerator harder. I need to get to her.
“She put her phone down on the bar and said she needed air. I tried to go with her and she didn’t want me to.”
“So you let her walk out alone?” I hiss.
“No,” my sister scoffs. “I let herthinkshe was walking out alone.”
