Page 6 of Fanged Temptation

And that started with heeding her advice and ditching my darling kitten heels for the prettiest pair of pumps I owned.

As I set the phone down a sudden chill trickled down my spine, the hairs on my neck standing at attention. I glanced at the window once more, half expecting to see that pompous pigeon again, back for round two of our stare-off, but there was nothing out there but blue sky.

I crept closer to the window sill, compelled by some primal part of me that could always sense when something was amiss. I peeked through the pane, past the scaffolding, and down to thestreet below. The city was wide awake, the mundane bustle of morning routines unfolding before me.

But… there.

Standing incongruously still amid the rat race, was a man in a black suit and bowler hat.

His face was obscured, not quite turned toward my window, yet undeniably watching me. People streamed past him, oblivious to his presence. Like he existed in a separate slice of reality that happened to overlap with my own.

My pulse thrummed as he tilted his head slightly, a subtle acknowledgment that he saw me too. Panic fluttered in my chest and I stepped back from the window, the small distance doing little to alleviate the cold dread tunneling in my veins.

How did they find me? How did he find me? I won’t go back, I won’t –

"Get a grip, Maxine," I muttered to myself, the words straining out of me as if to scatter my fears.

After a moment to collect myself I inched forward again, compelled to confirm the reality of what I had seen – or to prove that it was just a regular businessman on his way to work and I was well and truly losing it.

When I looked again, peeking through the pane with my heart in my throat, the street below was just as busy as before, but the man in the bowler hat was gone. I scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of him, but he had vanished as mysteriously as he appeared.

I edged back from the window, tugging at a rogue strand of hair. Then I shook the fog from my head, heading to the bathroom to tame my curls. "You're seeing things, Max. It’s the stress."

But the conviction in my voice was thin and the chill under my skin would not dissipate.

The aquarium was chaos, filled to bursting with school groups and happy couples, children with ice cream dribbling down their elbows, and babies in strollers hollering at the top of their lungs. The faint smell of salt water and detergent had my nose wrinkling and I pushed my way through the crush of bodies, clamping a lid down on my flustered nerves.

I spotted Leah near the seal exhibit, her attention focused on a particularly animated seal pup splashing around in the enclosure. Her sweater was two sizes too big, deep green like her eyes and rolled up to her elbows, tucked into faded blue jeans. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, pushed through the gap at the back of her fraying cap.

She stood with her arms folded, her eyes darting back and forth as she traced the seal through the clear waters, oblivious to the crowds seething around her. And clearly, completely indifferent to the fact that those boots she donned were three years out of style.

My earlier bravado had dwindled to nothing and I found myself suddenly unsteady, unsure how to announce myself, contemplating walking myself out of there before she caught sight of me. But I couldn’t abandon her a second time.

Drawing a deep breath and straightening out the lapels of my jacket, I inched towards her, nudging my elbow against hers. “Hey.”

Leah turned, her slight smile guarded but genuine. "Hey. You made it."

She scanned me up and down, probably checking if I had indeed skipped the heels for more practical footwear. I showedoff my pumps, twirling on the spot, and earned an eyeroll for my efforts.

"I wouldn’t miss it." I found myself stuttering slightly, awkward under her level stare. "I, uh, I wanted to see the... seals. And you."

Leah raised a brow, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Really? Since when are you interested in seals, Maxine?"

It was a fair question – one I did not have a good answer to, seeing as I had no interest in sea dogs whatsoever and thought them quite smelly.

"I am full of surprises," I managed, solemnly fixating on the sea pup so as to not have to meet her eye.

“Mhmm.” There was trepidation in her tone, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like she expected me to up and leave again – and refused to be hurt when I did.

It stung a little, even though I knew she had every right to feel that way. Guilt twisted my gut and I swallowed, swallowed all the secrets I could not share with her. I could never explain myself, could never atone.

But I could stick around, and prove to her that this time… this time things would be different.

4

Leah

Maxine always had a knack for standing out in a crowd, but here she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her bright yellow dress swished around her knees, and her hair was done up with hundreds of little clips and doodads.

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