“Hmm, I can think of another way I can achieve that.” He pulls me in for a kiss.
“Easy there Romeo, this isn’t an all access pass.” I move out of his reach.
“Alright alright. You should come with me to the gym. We can work up a sweat together in a not-so-fun way then.” He jokes.
“Oh, ok sure.”
I pause.
“Actually, no.”
“Okayyyy.” Evan looks unsure of my answer.
“Yeah, I don’t want to work out. Old Amelia would have just tagged along with whatever you were doing and ignored what she really wanted to do. Which is cuddling up with a good book and some hot chocolate in your breakfast nook that overlooks the backyard.”
Evan smiles. “Thank you for telling me what you really want to do.” He places a quick kiss on my forehead.
Huh, guess I don’t hate that so much anymore.
“And you don’t mind?” I ask.
“Not at all. Like you said, I want to get to know the real you while we’re here. Although, I’m sure you’ll be leaving this cabin with my heart regardless.” He winks as he heads towards his room to change into gym clothes.
Half an hour later, I’m fully hooked on a psychological thriller paperback I picked up specifically as my vacation read. I inhale my bougie hot cocoa and now I’m taking a moment to fully let the last twenty-four hours sink in.
Evan has feelings for me.
We’ve kissed.
We’re fake-ish dating?
That definitely wasn’t in my bingo cards for Thanksgiving weekend.
Just as I’m processing these wild events, a prickly sensation starts to build in the back of my neck. I start to feel like I’m being watched.
Geez Amelia, put the book down and stick to your chick flicks.
I look out into the backyard in hopes that the view will provide the sense of serenity that it usually does, but it ends up doing the opposite.
In the horizon, I can’t make out what I see exactly, but I notice a few flickers. There is something glaring back at me, like a tiny mirror making purposeful movements in the distance.
No one is supposed to be here. We’re on acres of private land. We’re snowed in. Panic starts to build, and I scream.
“Evan!”
I’m already bolting from the kitchen nook, barely saving another coffee mug from being shattered, when Evan rounds the corner, dripping in sweat towards me.
“What happened? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Evan pants as he scans my body quickly. He must have jumped off a speeding treadmill by the way he’s breathing.
I struggle to string words together while pointing at the window. “I saw—I think I saw. Something. A reflection. Shiny glare. Out back.” I point to the backyard.
“Amelia, slow down. You think you saw something out back?” he asks as he holds on to my shoulders, trying to steady me, while looking out the window.
“I was reading, then I felt this overwhelming feeling of being watched. I am reading a thriller, but it’s about a husband who killed his wife. Ya know,it’s always the husband. Anyways, I saw something flickering, almost shining in my direction. I didn’t see a person, but there’s so much snow and I just. I don’t know. We’re in a goddamn cabin. This is why city girls shouldn’t head into the countryside, this shit can turn creepy real quick!” I pant.
“Amelia, take a deep breath.” Evan pulls me in for a hug. I’m still panicking, but Evan is sweaty and shirtless, so my senses are struggling with which matter to take up first.Who even has a six pack nowadays?“Come with me.”
He grabs my hand, and we head to a room I haven’t seen since he gave me the house tour that I mostly ignored. There is a large desk with three massive monitors. He takes a seat at the desk and pulls me down to sit on his lap. After a few keystrokes, he opens up his security system app and all three screens fill up with what seem like dozens of different camera angles of the property.
