Shit.
I powerwalk.
I reach the corner and turn it and find—
An alleyway.
Narrow, brick on both sides, but wide enough to fit three people across. I keep walking, wondering where he disappeared to. I’m almost at a crossroad when large hands close around me.
I make a sound that’s not quite a scream, not quite a gasp, something in between, and then I'm against the brick wall with the cold of it against my back, and he’s in front of me.
Looming is the right word.
His height, his shoulders, the mass of him in the confined space of the alley. His breath, when it reaches me, is minty and cold. His hands aren't hurting me. They're just present. On either side of my shoulders against the brick. Framing me.
I can't move.
I'm not sure I want to.
"Following me, Adela?"
His voice is what it always is. Like he has never once in his life been surprised by anything and doesn't intend to start.
His eyes are full of amusement. His jaw has some stubble. His lips are full this close. And he has a scar on his forehead that I haven’t been able to examine this close before.
None of it matters because I can't breathe properly. My heart is doing something that has nothing to do with the fright of being grabbed.
"You want the book back?" he says, quieter now.
I nod. "You got the note?"
"And so did your little boyfriend."
"How do you know—"
His finger touches my lips to silence me.
One finger. The lightest possible contact. And my entire nervous system stops operating normally. I breathe faster. My hands find the brick behind me, as if I need something to hold on to.
"You shouldn't be talking to me," he says.
I swallow against his finger. "We can't meet at the library anymore."
He doesn't remove his hand. His finger traces my lips, and I feel it in places that have nothing to do with my mouth.
"And where do you suppose we meet?"
"We can't," I manage.
He drops his hand.
I finally breathe, pressing my lips together. I need to get my shit together, or he’s going to read my body language. I’m not ready for that to happen.
"Why are you on this side of town?"
I chew my lip. "It's a couple of blocks from where I live. And I just got a job."
Something shifts in his expression. Not a surprise exactly. "You got a job."
