Chapter 14

CANDACE

He knew.

The thought came and went so quickly that I almost convinced myself I’d imagined it. Maybe he was bluffing.

Maybe he’d seen me at the party, noticed me talking to someone, and decided to scare me for fun. There were hundreds of people there that night. Someone could have seen me.

I forced myself to take a slow breath.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, I kept my face as neutral as I could and looked directly at him.

“What exactly do you think you know?”

His smile didn’t disappear. If anything, it grew. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t.” The lie came out faster than I expected.

He studied me for a few seconds, almost like he was trying to decide whether to call me out on it.

“You were wearing a black dress.”

I looked down at myself.

That wasn’t exactly difficult to remember. Half the girls at the party had probably been wearing black.

“So?”

“You had your hair down.”

My fingers instinctively went toward my hair before I caught myself.

His eyes flicked toward the movement.

“You kept tucking it behind your ear whenever you got nervous.”

My stomach tightened.

I said nothing.

“And you left the party alone.”

I swallowed.

That still didn’t prove anything.

He could have seen me leave. That was all.

Maybe he’d followed me for a few minutes and happened to see me talking to someone outside. He hadn’t said Elias’s name. He hadn’t even described him.

For all I knew, he hadn’t seen who I’d been with at all.

That thought gave me enough confidence to straighten my shoulders.

“You saw me at a party,” I said. “Congratulations. So did a lot of people.”

His eyebrows lifted.

“So that’s what we’re doing?”

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but whatever it was, you’re mistaken.”

He stared at me for another moment before letting out a quiet laugh.

“That’s your story?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re sticking with it?”

“Yes.”

He nodded slowly, almost approvingly.

“Interesting.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

His answer irritated me more than it should have.

I folded my arms across my chest. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“I already did.”

“No. You said you saw me with someone. You haven’t actually told me what you think happened.”

He smiled again. “You’re nervous.”

“I’m not.”

“You keep rubbing your thumb against your fingers.”

I immediately stopped.

He laughed under his breath.

I hated him. “What do you want?” I asked.

He shrugged.

“Nothing.”

I frowned.

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Following me around campus and cornering me to talk about something that happened weeks ago.”

“I told you. I’m just trying to talk to you.”

“You’re doing a terrible job.”

That seemed to amuse him.

He leaned against the wall beside him, looking far too comfortable for someone who had just cornered a stranger and started talking about a night she desperately wanted forgotten.

I looked around.

Students were still passing through the courtyard, but nobody was paying attention to us.

I lowered my voice.

“Do you want money?”

For the first time since we’d started talking, his expression completely changed.

He stared at me.

Then he burst out laughing.

Not a polite laugh.

Not the kind people gave when they were trying to be nice.

He genuinely lost it.

He bent forward, one hand pressed against his stomach as loud laughter escaped him. I stood there staring at him, completely confused, an awkward smile slowly forming on my face because I had absolutely no idea what else to do.

Apparently, offering someone money was hilarious.

This was the first time in my almost two decades of life that I’d ever thought about bribing someone, and somehow I’d managed to choose the one person who found the idea completely ridiculous.

“You’re serious?” he finally managed between laughs.

I nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

That only made him laugh harder.

I waited.

Eventually, he straightened, wiping at the corner of his eye as he looked at me.

“Wow.”

“What?”

“I honestly didn’t expect that.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t look like someone who would offer money to make a problem disappear.”

“Well, apparently I am.”

He shook his head, still smiling.

“You’re something else.”

“Are you going to take it or not?”

He laughed again, though this time it was quieter.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want your money.”

That made my stomach sink.

“Then what do you want?”

He stared at me. “You really want to know?”

I nodded.

He pushed away from the wall. “I noticed you that night.”

My brows pulled together.

He shook his head. “You don’t understand.” He took a step closer. “I wasn’t outside by accident.”

Something cold slid down my spine.

“What does that mean?”

“I saw you earlier inside the party.”

I didn’t say anything.

“You were standing with your friend near the drinks. Then you went to the bar.”

My heartbeat picked up.

“I saw you talking to the bartender. I saw you leave the room. I saw you go outside.”

He paused.

“And I followed you.”

My mouth went dry.

“You followed me?”

He nodded.

“I was curious.”

“About me?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “You caught my attention.”

I took a small step backwards.

He didn’t follow.

“I watched you walk toward the trees,” he continued. “Then I saw the guy you were with.”

My stomach dropped.

He had seen Elias.

Not just me.

Elias.

“You didn’t stay very long,” he said. “At least, not where I could see you.”

I couldn’t breathe properly.

Every little detail I’d convinced myself didn’t matter suddenly came rushing back.

The darkness.

The trees.

The stranger’s blue eyes.

His hands around my waist.

The kiss.

The fact that I’d thought nobody had seen us.

I looked at the guy standing in front of me.

“How much did you see?”

His smile returned.

“Enough.”

My heart slammed against my ribs.

He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

“Let’s not let your boyfriend, Jake, find out about that night, yeah?”

I froze.

Before I could ask how he knew Jake’s name, he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head.

Then he walked away.