Page 22 of Lured By Shadows

My thoughts shattered the instant a hand touched my shoulder; the simple contact yanking me back to reality so abruptly it forced the chaos in my mind still.

“Ira Grace,” my ma said firmly, her voice cutting through the fog, “I’ve been calling your name.”

“Oh—sorry,” I mumbled, dragging a hand through my tangled hair as I tried to look normal. “Ma, I dunno about college. I just… I don’t think it’s for me.”

She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her expression softening as concern settled across her brow. “Why’s that, honey?”

I gnawed at my bottom lip, the faint sting enough to keep me steady while I searched for words that wouldn’t come out wrong. “The guy you met outside… Culver. We ran into each other under weird circumstances. And it feels like… I dunno. Something feels off.”

Her expression shifted, one brow lifting as she considered that carefully. “Are you trying to say you like him?”

Absolutely not. My taste in men had issues, but hopefully not that many issues.

“What? No,” I shot back far too fast, heat rushing up my neck and straight into my cheeks as though I’d been caught mid-confession. I took a step back without thinking, as if distance alone could undo the way my voice had betrayed me. My arms crossed tightly over my chest, thin and defensive, as though they could hide everything I didn’t want her seeing. “It’s the complete opposite. Everyone at college, like literally everyone, acts like he’s some kinda movie villain.”

Which honestly wasn’t helping considering the man dressed like he collected cursed artifacts for fun.

That much was real enough, even if it left out the bigger piece I couldn’t bring myself to say. The truth was that he pulled at me in a way that felt intense and unsettling, the sort that clouded your thinking and pushed your usual caution aside.

Because I could already tell spending more time around Culver Scarbrough would turn my world upside down. I’d felt it from the first moment I looked at him, and the fact that it had only been this morning somehow made it worse.

“And the weird part,” I continued, my voice tightening because if I stopped talking, I knew I’d spiral again, “his family’s loaded. They own some bougie clothing brand, but there are rumors about them. Deep, weird rumors. Maybe even criminal stuff, and now just being seen near him is making me a target. People already hate me just ‘cause I know him.”

I paused, fidgeting with the frayed edge of my sleeve as though my fingers could physically pull the tension out of my spine.

The uncomfortable truth lingered anyway. I was already falling for someone I didn’t know and definitely shouldn’t want. I was scared of how badly I wanted him, of the way the feeling settled deep in my chest and refused to loosen its grip. Wanting someone this much after barely knowing them felt insane.

Clinically unwell, even.

My mother’s expression didn’t shift the way I expected. Her hand slid to her hip as she met my eyes, her gaze cool and difficult to read. “Sweetheart,” she said slowly, “I think you’re overthinking it. You’re new. You’ve got that Southern charm, you’re beautiful, and let’s be real, half the room probably noticed you the moment you walked in.”

Unfortunately, one of them happened to be the world’s most emotionally confusing man.

I rolled my eyes, but she was already stepping closer, her fingers smoothing down my hair in the easy way she’d always had. The touch was grounding, the kind that didn’t just fix flyaways but reminded me I wasn’t as alone as I felt.

“Okay,” I said quietly, the word leaving me on a breath. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve never been the new girl before. It feels like everyone already decided who I am.”

“They haven’t, baby. They’re just seeing a piece of you. Day one always feels like a fight.” She leaned in and kissed my forehead, and just like that, I felt small again, as though the world had gotten too big too fast. “I ordered food. It’ll be here soon.”

I nodded as she stepped back, her presence lingering even as she moved away. “Yeah, yeah. You’ve got things to do. Love you.”

She smiled and brushed my arm on her way out, signing "I love you" like it was muscle memory. Then she was gone, leaving behind the faint scent of coffee and reassurance.

I sank onto one of the kitchen barstools, my body swaying slightly as the quiet settled back in. The vape spun between my fingers, a small, stupid ritual that gave me just enough reason to keep my breathing steady.

Barely.

It was the mystery and the tension. The way Culver’s presence clung to my day like a second skin. Maybe I’d blown the whole thing up in my head, turning a random encounter into something much bigger than it actually was.

But no matter how I tried to frame it, he wasn’t just a guy. He hadn’t walked into my life so much as carved a place into it. And now that he was there, I couldn’t picture a single way to undo the mark he’d already left behind.

I liked being treated well, and I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. But it didn’t feel like normal kindness. Tomorrow, I would stand my ground. I wouldn’t let him spiral me out of control like this.

Well… that was if he was even around tomorrow.

The doorbell rang suddenly, slicing through the quiet and making me jolt upright as though I’d been yanked by a wire. My pulse spiked, irrational panic spreading across my chest like spilled ink. For one stupid second, my mind conjured the image of Culver standing on the porch beneath the light, holding some new reason to push himself deeper into my life.

But it wasn’t him.