I jumped when I felt a hand around my bicep. I turned to see Mael’s concerned gaze, his blue eyes honing in on me.
“Are you okay?”
I pulled my arm away from his grasp. “I’m fine.”
His eyebrow rose in surprise.
“I have to get back to work,” I said before he could say anything else.
He took me in for a beat before nodding. “Okay, baby.”
I turned and walked away, trying hard not to look at him as I worked. He stayed with me for the rest of my shift. I wished he wouldn’t do that. I wanted him to leave so I could…
So I could go back to the apartment my stalker had access to.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions from showing on my face. A glance back at Mael told me he was sitting where he had been since he first got here, and I wasn’t ready to face him yet.
I rushed to the bathroom as soon as I clocked out, taking a look at myself in the mirror. I looked terrible and had bags under my eyes that even concealer couldn’t hide.
And I had no energy.
I couldn’t even remember if I had eaten anything all day. I pulled the hair tie holding my ponytail in place and fixed my hair, trying to make myself look… less dead.
After taking some deep breaths in the bathroom, I forced myself to walk out, grabbing my purse from underneath the counter before I left.
And Mael was gone.
I stopped in my step and took in the empty table.
He was gone.
Just like that.
It was what I wanted, wasn’t it?
I just thought he would have fought a little harder for me. But this was good.
It wasn’t like we were in a serious relationship or anything.
There was no relationship.
And I had wanted this.
So then, why did I want to cry?
I blinked away the moisture collected in my eyes and hurried out of the shop without saying anything to anyone, not wanting any of my coworkers to see me lose it like this. The last thing I needed was for more talk around the shop to circulate about me.
I stepped out into the cold night air, inhaling deeply and then letting it out.
As much as I loved the summer, the winter air was just easier to breathe.
I quickly walked over to my car.
Movement from my side startled me. I jumped, and my ankle bent at an off angle. I nearly fell to the ground had someone not been there, wrapping me in his arms and pulling me in close to his body.
I turned, my eyes connecting with familiar blue ones.
Mael.
