Page 114 of Creep

Or was I just being stupid, trying to justify his actions simply because I missed him?

I blinked and looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

It had only been a little over a week, and I had changed.

I’d lost weight. My already fair skin was paler than usual, my hair was lifeless, and there were heavy bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.

And it hadn’t been that long since I’d last seen him.

What was wrong with me?

Or worse…

What if I had made a mistake going to Leo?

There was no going back from this, not when I got Leo involved. And I was sure my dad knew something was up. We hadn’t gone entirely off the grid, mostly because Leo hadn’t thought my stalker was serious about me or dangerous.

Then Mael started setting fire to most of Leo’s business buildings.

Who knew he could be such an arsonist?

I shook my head, trying to shake away all the thoughts about Mael Beckett, and quickly got ready for bed.

Despite the late hour, though, I wasn’t tired. I tossed and turned on my bed for most of the night, keeping my eyes open as I took in the dark room, reminding me so much of the times when Mael came to my room at night as my stalker and held me in his arms.

And I missed it.

“I really do,” I whispered into the quiet room.

It was the first time all week I allowed myself to admit such a stupid thing, but it was true, and telling myself otherwise wouldn’t have mattered.

I still missed him.

By the time I finally succumbed to sleep, my slumber was anything but peaceful.

I dreamed of Mael coming to me in this bedroom. He crawled into bed with me and wrapped his arms tightly around my body as if he were afraid I might up and disappear on him.

I turned and buried my face in his chest, taking in his scent.

It felt so real.

“I missed you,” I whispered into his skin, pressing the palm of my hand over his heart and taking in the slow rhythm. “I missed you so much.”

He didn’t say anything—just ran his fingers through the strands of my hair, comforting me in the only way he could at the moment.

I leaned forward and kissed the center of his chest before tilting my head back and kissing along his jawline. He looked at me, and even though it was dark, I could make out his expression perfectly.

His blue eyes glowed with some unnamed emotion.

“Won’t you kiss me?” I asked.

He cupped my cheek and bent down. I closed my eyes, waiting for him.

But just before he could press his lips against mine, I woke up.

I gasped and looked around the empty room, somehow feeling like I was missing something and would be unable to find it for a while.

Dawn was breaking, and the light outside had taken on a blue hue.

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