Page 40 of To Obsess

Each time I looked up and caught him watching me, he looked away quickly, but I’d seen it. I saw that look in his eye that went from heated to territorial to downright hungry. It had made me feel vulnerable at the time, but now, I can’t get the image of him out of my head.

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I unlock the front door and step inside. Abby flashes across the screen so I quickly answer. I texted her about the store as soon as I found out, so her scream of excitement doesn’t come as a surprise.

“I’m coming over tonight to celebrate! I’ll bring wine and food. I can’t wait to hear all about your day!” she half yells in a rush to get all the words out.

“I’ll be around here somewhere, I’m sure,” I say with a smile. “I’m taking a lazy day before the real work begins tomorrow. See you in a little bit.” I hit the end button, plunging myself back into silence and thoughts of heated hazel eyes.

In an effort to push those thoughts away, I scribble a note on a piece of printer paper and walk to the mailbox, hoping he will come this evening. It’s been radio silence for a few days now. Long enough that I’m starting to get worried something happened to him, or maybe he decided he isn’t interested anymore. The thought causes my heart to lurch painfully. This has been going on so long, I don’t know how I’d manage if it suddenly ended.

I flip the lid on the box and find it empty yet again. A twinge of disappointment floods my senses. He hasn’t been here.

I reread my note, making sure it isn’t a bunch of gibberish, refold it, place it in the box, and close the lid. I’ll check again tomorrow.

Our most recent interactions play through my mind on repeat for the next several hours, trying to pinpoint anything that might explain the sudden silence. No matter how hard I try, I can’t come up with a single explanation.

Abby’s knock on the door interrupts my thoughts, forcing me to drop the subject for now. Instead, I open the door and grab the wine from her as she hauls the food inside.

“I want to hear absolutely everything about your day.” So, I tell her. From the interaction with the bookstore owners this morning, to the lawyer meeting, to the man who has kept my attention for most of the day. I give her the best description of him I can manage, hoping that maybe she’ll have some idea of who he is.

After minutes of wracking her brain, Abby heaves the most dramatic of all the sighs I’ve heard from her. “I can ask around, but I don’t know who he is, darling. I’m sorry I can’t be much help, but he sounds wonderful. You obviously had a connection. Maybe you should swing by the office tomorrow, claim you think you left something there?” she suggests with a shrug.

“Yeah, maybe,” I say halfheartedly. “Sorry to cut this short, but I need to get in bed, Abby. I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and I didn’t sleep well at all last night. I’m exhausted.”

She waves me off, quickly tidying up from our dinner. “I’ll get out of your hair. I only wanted to come by and celebrate for a minute with you. This is a huge deal. I’m so proud of you.” She pulls me in for a quick hug before slipping on her shoes. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

I nod, holding the door open for her and watching as she slips into the driver’s seat of her car. I don’t bother to watch as she turns around and heads down the driveway.

Tonight, I opt for a quick shower and warm sheets instead of the drawn-out bath I’d rather take. The quicker this night is over, the quicker I can check the mailbox and see if he’s been back.

Chapter 37

KILLIAN

It takes real effort to keep myself from pacing the length of my apartment as I replay the day in my head. Violet. Fucking. Parker. Violet was in the office this afternoon, signing papers to receive an entire business, and I had to keep myself held together long enough for her to get out the damned door. The fact that I even somewhat managed to do that was the biggest miracle I’ve ever personally witnessed.

Exactly 1.2 seconds after she closed the door, I excused myself to the restroom where I promptly lost my shit.

I’ve never been near her like that in a professional setting. Well, aside from the bookstore anyway. It’s never happened in my workplace.

I should have read the paperwork and been prepared to see her, but I do this same thing over and over every week, so I didn’t even process her name on the papers before she walked through the door. It took entirely too long to calm and recollect myself once she left. In fact, I ended up leaving the office early to come home and freak out in peace. I had asked to take off early as I suddenly wasn’t feeling the best, or at least that’s the excuse I gave my boss to gain a little sympathy and get a little longer weekend.

From what I could gather during the meeting, she hadn’t recognized me. I’ve been in the bookstore a hundred times, but I’m always dressed casually there. Sweatpants or jeans, a T-shirt or hoodie. Never business attire with styled hair.

My mind is too restless to stay in this apartment all night, fretting about things that are beyond my control, so I opt for a quick run. I’ll swing by Violet’s box, drop off another card for her to find in the morning, then work off some of this built-up energy so I might be able to get a couple hours of decent rest tonight.

By the time I’m slowing at the gates, my mind has eased significantly. With every stride closer to her, my entire body relaxes, feeling more relieved than I have since before the meeting.

I flip the lid to find a note waiting for me again tonight. I wasn’t sure she would write to me again. Even as the smile stretches across my face, I can’t help the twinge of dread coiling in my gut. This is a bad idea and I know it, yet I can’t seem to stop myself from reaching in and curling my fingers around the scrap of paper.

Before even reading it, I toss in the two pages I brought with me tonight. One in response to her previous note, one as a continuation of meeting the challenge she posed in the podcast. The lid closes with the clink of metal against metal, incredibly loud in the near silence of the night.

Fingers still curled around the paper, I start walking with one quick glance back toward the house. I can’t see it from here, but I hope she’s up there, safely tucked into her bed with sweet dreams running through her head.

About a block from her gates, I tap the screen of my phone, press the flashlight button, and unfold the paper she left for me in the box. I had planned to wait until I made it back home, but that just isn’t working out for me tonight.

K,

Tell me more about you. Please.