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Chapter Four
I’m taking my dog for a walk down the block when I come to a standstill in front of a two-storey house. Two men are standing out the front by a truck, and one of them is very familiar. They both turn to look at me standing there like an idiot. Sylar doesn’t smile, but the man next to him does.
“And what do we have here?” I hear him say as he approaches me. “Hello, beautiful. How are you doing today?”
“Fine, thanks,” I say, taking in the man. He has the same colouring as Sylar, dark hair and blue eyes, but is very well put together, dressed in dark jeans and a shirt. His hair is short and styled and there is a little stubble on his cheeks, probably because he likes it that way, not because he’s been too lazy to shave.
“I’m Spencer,” he says, giving me a once-over. “And you are?”
“Bree,” I say, looking down at my pug. “And this is Snoop.”
“Snoop?” he asks, eyes going wide. He looks down at him, and I can tell he’s not very impressed by my companion, but I don’t really care. I rescued Snoop from the shelter, and if I hadn’t taken him in, he would have been put down.
“Yeah,” I say, flashing him a small smile. “I’m just taking him for a short walk. I guess I’ll… uhh... nice to meet you.”
They literally live down the road from me. How did I not know this? I saw the For Sale sign on this property about a month or so back, but I didn’t know that it sold. The people who lived here prior were always travelling and hardly here.
I look behind him to Sylar, who is standing there like a statue, watching the interaction between me and Spencer. “Nice to see you, Sylar.”
“Wait,” Spencer says, looking between the two of us. “You know her? You’ve been hiding this beauty away, brother?”
Brother?
Yeah, I guess I can see that. Sylar is taller and more built than Spencer, but the features are somewhat similar. The difference is Sylar seems to want to hide his, while Spencer flaunts them. Spencer’s eyes are also not as blue at Sylar’s.
“Brothers, hey?” I say, looking from one to the other. “Who is the oldest?”
Spencer nods to Sylar. “He is. How do you two know each other exactly?”
“Well, we don’t.” I clear my throat. “I mean not really. Sylar comes into my café to get coffee most mornings.”
I’m feeling really awkward, mainly because Sylar hasn’t said a thing to me. It’s like he really doesn’t want me here right now, but I have no idea why. I wish I hadn’t taken this route today. I should have gone the other way. Change sucks.
“I see,” Spencer murmurs, an undefinable emotion flashing in his eyes. “Interesting.”
“I better get going,” I say, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. “Nice to meet you, Spencer.”
“You too, Bree,” he says, smiling warmly. “I’m sure we’ll run into you and Snoop again.”
He makes it sound like a promise. I wave awkwardly then beeline it out of there, walking down to the bottom of the street at a quick pace. It’s only when I get to the bottom I realize that I have to walk back past their house, because the street is a cul-de-sac and I can’t get through without jumping someone’s fence, which honestly sounds like the better option.
Shit.
I don’t think Snoop would enjoy that much. I’d have to carry his chubby self because there’s no way he can do any kind of jumping. Maybe they’ve gone inside now, and I can quickly jog by without having to face either man again.
How does this shit happen to me?
I walk extra slowly around the cul-de-sac then back up the street, staying on the opposite side of the street, next to the bush. As their house approaches, I chance a glance out of the corner of my eye, and… they are still there. Staring at me. Oh my God, they probably think I’m an idiot. Do I wave? Do I pretend I can’t see them? What is less awkward? I end up going for the second awkward wave of the day, because I don’t want to be rude. They know I can see them; there’s no point pretending otherwise. I can see Sylar just watching me, arms crossed, while Spencer waves back. I smile and look down in front of me, quickening my pace, if that’s even possible, making poor Snoop walking faster than he ever has in his life.
I hear Spencer laugh, and I want to crawl inside a hole and die.
For the first time ever, I hope he doesn’t come in tomorrow morning.
*****
“Are you wearing makeup?” Elijah asks, narrowing his eyes and bringing his face closer to mine to inspect. “You are. To work. What’s the occasion?”
I purse my lips. “Can I not look nice at work without an interrogation?”
