As we waited for our drinks, Blake tried repeatedly to hook me. And by that I mean he was being blatantly obvious now with what he wanted, which apparently was me. I tried to dissuade him by laughing it off, as I often did with Grant, but this was a whole other species of man. He was not understanding my subtle refusal.
When we finished our drinks, I made up an excuse to get out of there. I walked off, thanking Blake for the drink, and made my way to Colin’s bathroom upstairs where I wouldn’t have to wait in the long line that had formed by the downstairs bathroom. Walking into the bedroom was a relief in a lot of ways, and I considered not returning downstairs.
No sooner had I sat down on the bed for a bit of a break than the door opened.
Blake came in hurriedly, closing the door behind him with a smug grin on his face. I stood up in surprise as the door clicked shut.
“What are you doing here?” I asked. My back straightened, and a jolt of adrenaline ran through me.
“You told me to follow you,” he said and inched toward me.
“I did no such thing!” I countered as his slow, deliberate steps continued. “Please, you have to get out. No one can find us here together,” I said with a hint of panic.
“You absolutely did. All the flirting. And the very pointed, ‘I’m going to the bathroom.’”
His forward movement and the ambitious gleam in his eye reminded me of how I’d imagined a hunter might appear as he spotted his prey in the distance.
“But I just had to go to the bathroom.” I moved to the side of the bed now, by the window. “That wasn’t an invitation to my room!”
Blake stopped and cocked his head to the side.
“Come on, are you kidding me?You’vebeen eyeingme. The banter. And it’s obvious you and Colin are in a quarrel.Idefinitely won’t tell him anything.”
“Get out!” I raised my voice.
“It’s pretty loud out there. I’m not sure I heard you,” he said, lowering the tone and volume of his voice as the right side of his lip crept ever so slowly toward his ear.
CHAPTER TWENTY
How is this happening?
I considered many escape routes in the instant I realized he would not leave.
He was right—the music was too loud. No one would hear me.
And my phone was sitting on top of the dresser by the door.
My voice wavered as I asked, “Can we go downstairs and have a good time at the wedding? I’m sure dinner will be served soon, and Colin will notice I’m not at the table.”
“First, we’ll have a good time up here.” He said it with such menacing finality that I knew if I tried to walk past him, he’d grab me.
My breath hitched.
If I jumped over the bed, he’d reach me before I made it to the other side. He was directly in the way of both the bathroom and the exit. I was left with only one option, and it had to be done swiftly and without hesitation.
In one fluid movement, I grabbed my hair curler from the top of the armchair, pulled open the balcony door, slid through the opening, shut it, and shoved my curling iron through both handles.
My heart would surely explode. It battered against my chest, and I looked on as Blake rattled the doors, but they didn’t open. My trusted hair curler had never been a more useful appliance.
When it was clear to both of us that he was stuck inside, he slammed his fist against the wood of the door. It coincided with the sound of thunder, and I jumped back. He must have seen the terrified look on my face. His smile was exactly as it had been downstairs when he first met me. After a moment, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away and out of the room.
I turned around, the dark of the night and the storm a scary rival to what I’d experienced. But I didn’t dare take my curling iron out yet. A small roof over the balcony had provided enough cover for me not to get rained on, but the wind whipped up again, and I leaned against the door to protect myself from the elements as much as possible.
I was trembling, both from the cold and from the shock of the situation. Pretty soon my jaw hurt from my trying to keep my teeth from chattering. I gave in and let my body do its thing while huddling down and shivering uncontrollably.
Time passed, and I couldn’t tell you how long. Nothing would have persuaded me that Blake wasn’t still right outside the bedroom waiting to pounce on me. I waited and waited.
What was I waiting for?
