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“Hopefully we can do it again soon?”
“Hopefully.”
She smiles at me, probably not seeing me as a threat, and I return it with a plastic one.
However, I have no capacity to focus on her, because Eli’s already walking away.
I jog, careful not to trip on my stilettos, and catch up with his long strides.
“She’s not by the pool,” I offer, knowing she’s with Mama and my other friends’ mums, probably sharing stories about their husbands.
His gaze strays to me, gray and mysterious, and it takes superhuman effort not to squirm.
Why is he able to effortlessly destabilize me? I seriously hope there’ll be a day when I’m not this affected by his attention. It’s both terrifyingly exciting and downright draining.
He raises an eyebrow. “Where is she, then?”
“Follow me.”
He says nothing, but he walks a few steps behind me as I lead him to the back garden. Some people are out here for a smokeand chatting. Many of them are my friends from secondary school.
“She’s just out there,” I say in my happy-go-lucky tone, waving at some of my classmates.
“Happy Birthday, pink princess!” Vance says and throws me a kiss.
I pretend to catch it and put it in my pocket. “Thanks, V!”
I steal a glance at Eli, but he doesn’t seem to have even heard the exchange.
My chest is pricked by a thorn of disappointment, but I ignore the sense of rejection. I still haven’t hit him with my secret weapon.
The chaos dies down behind us as we keep walking until we reach the small greenhouse Mama helped me decorate with pink flowers and roses.
I’ve spent late nights dreaming about bringing him to my secret spot and days making Cecily’s ears bleed with my plan for our future.
My and Eli’s, I mean.
Three children, two dogs, and three cats.
He strides over as if he anticipated the location, stops by a bed of colorful flowers, and stares at me as he slides his hands in his pockets.
A blur of heat sneaks beneath my skin as I catch my reflection in his pitch-black eyes.
When he speaks, his rough voice sets my goosebumps on edge. “What’s the purpose behind this?”
“You knew Aunt Elsa wasn’t here.”
“Partly because I saw her drinking with Aunt Kim on the way here.”
I wince but hide it with a smile. “Aren’t you going to wish me a happy birthday?”
“Happy Birthday. Mum brought you whatever gift she thinks kids your age would like.”
“I’m not a kid. I’m seventeen.”
“Theteenthere proves you wrong.”
“Age of consent is sixteen.”
