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“Keeping these gifts on display is not only a constant reminder of the creep, but also feeds into his delusions. If this is about what the majority of stalker cases are about, you’re feeding into his fantasies.”

She placed the vase on the counter. “What fantasies? What do you think this is about?” It was something she questioned every day.

She had done nothing to grab anyone’s attention. The flowers seemed like something from a secret admirer, so at first, she thought the person liked her and handled it poorly—not that she would give them the time of day, because handling it poorly or not, you don’t follow someone around. But with the addition of breaking into her home, the creepy calls, the dead bird… She didn’t know anymore. She had hurt no one or made anyone angry since her arrival to warrant the negative attention.

“He’s a sick man who wants you,” Aiden said in a flat tone.

She gave a rapid shake of her head in disbelief. “I thought he might like me, but not, like, want me.”

She poured the plant food into the water and stirred it with the stem of one rose. Grabbing the scissors, she got to work on the mechanical task of preparing the roses for longevity. It became second nature; she’d done it so many times.

“Do you honestly believe that?” He pivoted to face her. “Someone who goes this far doesn’t just like you. They are obsessed. Obsessed and twisted. Blaire’s TA was obsessed with her and look what happened.”

Her shoulders rose to her ears at the reminder of her best friend’s abduction. That dark time had been the first time she really spoke to Aiden one on one. They all thought Blaire left Blackthorn Academy without telling anyone. That she broke up with Lukas and ghosted him. It wasn’t her way. Blaire didn’t act like that. Aiden thought Charlotte might have information, so he sought her out.

She hadn’t even been told Blaire had been gone for a month already. It was a stark reminder of how she no longer fit in her best friend’s world. Her new friends didn’t even think to tell her. Now they were her friends too, but the memory still stung.

Putting the rose she cut into the water, she turned to him. “Didn’t y’all say she disappeared without any sign?” At his nod, she continued, “And did she receive strange gifts or threatening calls? Did the guy break into her dorm room?”

Aiden’s forehead lined as his face contorted into a look of frustration. “No, but it doesn’t always have to happen the same way. Vincent was around us daily. He got to see her up close and personal. Talk to her. This guy doesn’t have that as far as we know. Until we know his identity, we can assume that. He seems to keep his distance, from what you told me. If he doesn’t have easy access to you, it could explain the way he’s acting.”

She turned and put the rest of the flowers into the vase, and then dumped the trash.

She hadn’t considered it that way before. Of course she knew the man was obsessed—twisted too if she considered the dead bird, but obsessed with wanting her instead of obsessed with tormenting someone? That theory settled like a lead weight in her belly.

Her eyes tracked down to the feminine outfit she wore. Legs on display, cleavage she couldn’t really hide unless she wore a T-shirt or full coverage blouse. Even the designers made her dainty shoes to enhance her feminine appeal. She wanted to look cute, but the startling reality was she had attracted a monster.

She had ignored the warnings found online. Maybe if she had dressed in jeans and T-shirts instead of cooler outfits that were pretty and trying too hard, she never would have been a target.

“Charlotte?”

She glanced over at Aiden, realizing she’d fallen silent at his revelation. “Yeah?”

“What are you thinking?”

Her hands gripped the edge of the counter, her fingertips whitening around the navy-blue nail polish she wore to match her dress. “I think I need to change.”

“Change?”

“Clothes.” When he said nothing, she turned to him. “What?”

“I don’t think I’m following.”

“Look at me,” she said, throwing her arms out to each side of her hips, hands palm up, facing him. “It’s not like I’m trying to be subtle and reserved. I’m not dressed like a hoe or whatever, but I’m certainly not giving the ‘stay away from me’ impression.”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped forward, backing her against the counter, putting his hands on the counter’s edge on each side of her. He brought his face down to eye level.

“No,” he said once he had her where he wanted her. Caged in and unable to move away from him.

The one-word command made her eyes round with surprise.

“No,” he repeated softer. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to blame yourself for this. You did nothing wrong. This is all on him.” He pointed an accusing finger off to the side before returning his hand to the counter. “You’re not dressed like a… hoe. And even if you were, you still aren’t inviting anything. Is that what you wanted by putting this dress on today?”

Her head moved from side to side.

“What did you want, then?”

“I wanted to look pretty,” she whispered.