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Chapter Five
I watch from in between leaves as Christina knocks on the door, and silently pray that no one is home.
“Come on,” I whisper, hoping for the ideal situation, one where we go home after this and never have to walk past this house again. A drama-free outcome.
I’m not that lucky. The door opens, but I can’t see who she’s talking to, if it’s one of the brothers or someone else.
Please don’t be Sylar.
When she moves aside a few minutes later, Spencer walks out and looks along the side of his house. She follows him and glances out over his front yard. I’m wondering what they’re doing when it hits me. Is he helping her look for her cat? The one that doesn’t exist?
Jesus Christ.
When Spencer has his back turned to me, she waves in my direction and gives me a thumbs-up.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
With a sudden, quick move, Snoop jumps out of my arms and I accidentally let go of the lead. Before I can reclaim it, he bolts, his version of bolting anyway, and heads straight in Christina and Spencer’s direction.
Oh, fuck.
I stay hidden, knowing Christina will grab him and watching as she does so. Spencer must have said something hilarious, because she starts laughing, Snoop against her chest, then puts him down and holds the lead. Spencer lifts his head and looks right at me. Right at my bush. Oh my God. Does he know I’m here? Can he see me? Or is he just wondering why a chubby pug ran out of a bush all of a sudden? Crap, he knows it’s my dog, too. And he knows I know where he lives, so he probably must have figured out that Christina showing up at his front door isn’t a coincidence. She should have just said that she was taking Snoop out for a walk and lost him, but it’s too late now. My dog is on Sylar’s property, and Christina’s fake cat will never be found. This whole scenario is a huge disaster, just like I knew it would be.
How do I even get into these situations?
When I see Spencer pointing to where I am, I know that he either sees me, or knows someone or something is behind this bush. Maybe he thinks it’s the cat? You know, the one that doesn’t exist. Christina takes his hand in hers and distracts him by leading him to the other side of the yard. Should I take this chance to make a run for it? He’s bound to see me, though. Oh God, am I going to just have to sit here until it gets dark or something? Or until they go back into his house, or whatever it is the two of them are going to do next.
“What exactly are you doing, Brielle?” comes a deep voice to my right.
I freeze.
I know that voice; it’s the one I don’t want to hear right now.
Where did he even come from?
I turn my head and look into Sylar’s eyes. He’s watching me, eyes narrowed, arms crossed against his broad chest. He looks different. I think because he’s actually wearing fitted clothing, a sleeveless T-shirt and track pants. He must have been out running, and happened to stumble upon me hiding in the bush, staring at his house like a total creep. How can I even explain this situation to save myself? I don’t think I can.
“I’m… tying my shoelace,” I say, shrugging and standing up, facing him. “And looking for a cat, apparently.”
I picture myself as he must see me, my blonde hair in a braid down my back, face free of make-up except the mascara on my lashes. I’m in workout clothes, leggings and a loose-fitting black top with the arm holes showing off the sides of my stomach.
“Brielle—”
“You didn’t come in to get your coffee,” I blurt out, unable to stop myself. As soon as I say the words I regret them, because they give so much away. They tell him that I noticed, and they tell him that it bothers me. I don’t know this man well enough for it to bother me, yet it clearly does. I never give so much of myself away, yet with him it’s like all bets are off.
Why?
I take in his features, his beard, those blue eyes I can’t seem to stop thinking about, and then his mouth. Those lips. I’d like to taste them, but I know that one taste will only leave me hungry for more. His lips are tainted with something I should run from, but instead am actively seeking. I think this says a lot about me.
He glances toward his house, then back down at me. “Are you hiding in the bush while your friend talks to my brother?”
His brow furrows, and I can understand why this would puzzle him, because surely it’s not normal behaviour. I brush the grass off my butt and shift on my feet, not really sure what to say. “It’s a long story.”
“I have all the time in the world, Brielle,” he says, arching a brow at me.
I look to Christina, except she has now disappeared, Snoop too. “Where did she go?”
“She went inside,” Sylar says, eyes not leaving me.
