Page 32 of Creep

“There, then.”

“Maybe,” she allowed.

“What are the chances I would be running into you again?” I said. A hundred percent. That was the chance—I made sure of it. “It must be fate.” It was my obsession.

She softened a little. She liked the idea of fate a little too much. Fanciful girl. I could give her a hundred of those little sappy moments if she wished for them.

“Fate,” she said slowly as if trying out the word for the first time. A small, amused smile tugged at the corners of her lips right before she lied to me by saying, “I don’t think I believe in that.”

I blinked at her, letting my gaze roam over the girl who was mine in every possible way another person could belong to someone else, and feeling thisrightnessin the center of my chest. And she knew it too. Perhaps not consciously, but somewhere deep inside her, she knew she belonged to me. I could see the curiosity in her eyes and how she leaned in ever so slightly toward me, wanting to get as close as she could. I caught a whiff of her scent. Its familiarity was like home.

“Well, what would you call it, then?” I asked, leaning in closer to her, my voice nothing more than a soft whisper, as if we were sharing a big secret between the two of us. She didn’t move away from me. “Two strangers at the same bar, and by some cosmic coincidence, ended up seeing each other again in the same coffee shop. Seems like more than just chance to me.”

She laughed, the sound moving through me and settling contentedly in my center. I watched as she shook her head, her eyes twinkling. She was enjoying this way more than she would ever admit. “Maybe you’re just a really dedicated coffee drinker.”

I offered her a half smile. “There are very few things I am dedicated to.” Killing Leo Briggs was one. And her. I was wholly dedicated to her. “But not coffee.” I lowered my voice conspiratorially. “Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something.”

She blinked at me as if she didn’t know what to make of my statement. Perhaps I was coming on too strong? I shook my head. It didn’t matter. Lia might not be shy or skittish, but some part of her told her she needed to be wary of me. Rightly so. Not that I would ever hurt her. Not likethat, anyway. I’d fucking cut off my own arm first. “Maybe,” she allowed. I’d take it. A stray hair had come out of her ponytail and fallen over her face. She tucked the strand behind her ear, her eyes darting away from mine for a brief second. I almost felt robbed. Any moment in which I couldn’t see her eyes was just fucking unacceptable to me.

I leaned forward, my elbows resting on the table, and tried to bring her attention back to me. “I’m Mael. I don't think I introduced myself at the bar.”

She hesitated for a moment. “Lia.”

“Lia,” I repeated, savoring the taste of her name on my tongue. I thought of her name a thousand times… a million times since I knew of her existence, but never out loud. As if I were bringing danger to her if I did. But fuck if I didn’t love the sound coming from me. “It’s beautiful. It suits you.”

She shot me a small smile. “Thanks. It’s short for Amelia.”

I knew that. I nodded, gesturing to the chair across from me. “Would you like to join me? Just for a moment? I promise I don’t bite.”

I smiled, showing her my teeth.

She looked back at the counter, where her coworkers were pretending not to watch us. It was almost comical. “I… I’m working.”

Her thoughts seemed to be running a million miles a second, debating. “I have to get back to work,” she said, turning away and all but running back to the safety of the counter—as if something like fake white granite could keep her away from me. I let her hide.

But just this once.

12

LIA

I let outa small groan from where I was hiding in the back, wondering what I regretted more—not taking him up on his offer and sitting down at the table with him or staying there and talking to him so much, showing him just how badly he affected me without even trying.

And he was nothing more than a mere stranger at that.

Mael.

I finally got a name I could put to his face.

Mael, Mael, Mael.

I repeated the name in my head, wondering why it felt so… significant to me. It was as if my entire life was about to change from that one word alone, and I was helpless to stop it.

I knew I couldn’t hide in the back all day. I didn’t even know why I was letting him affect me like this.

I took a deep breath, pushed away from the wall I was leaning against, and slowly walked out to the front.

My heart dropped when I found the table he had been at empty. I tried to convince myself it wasn't disappointment but relief I was feeling.

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