“I don’t think that’s it at all—”
Danielle’s reply was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. I glared at her.
“I’m not going to answer it,” I said. “What if it’s James?”
Danielle got to her feet and brushed her hands off on her thighs. “Then I will,” she said, striding across the room and yanking open our front door before I could stop her.
“Danielle? I need to speak with Hanna.” The deep sound of James’s voice filled my ears and I winced.
Why can’t he just leave me alone, I thought angrily as I pressed my lips into a thin line.
“I don’t think she wants to talk to you,” Danielle said nervously, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Maybe you should leave.”
James sighed – I could hear it from where I sat. “I have something I need to show her,” he said. “Can you please just tell her that, if nothing else? I think she’d be interested to see it.”
“What is it,” I muttered under my breath. “Some stupid fancy expensive present to make me forget about what a fucker you are?”
Danielle turned to me and closed the door. “He says he has something to show you,” she said.
“I heard,” I said coldly.
“I think you should hear him out,” Danielle said. “Come on – what if it’s something interesting?”
I groaned. “I hate that both my roommate and my stupid ex are against me,” I muttered, getting to my feet and stomping over to the door. “If I do this, will you agree to shut up?”
Danielle gave me a wounded look, but she nodded. “Promise,” she said.
When I opened the door, James was standing in the hallway with a giant box in his hands.
“If you brought me a kitten, my building doesn’t allow pets,” I said coldly.
“It’s not a kitten,” James said. Up close, he didn’t look so good. His dark hair was greasy at the roots and there were lines in his face that hadn’t been there a few days ago. “But I think you’ll want to see it all the same. Can I take you to dinner, please?”
I bit my lip. As angry as I was with him, I was almost angrier with myself. I hated how being around James made me feel tongue-tied and anxious, like a lovesick kid. I hated that I had such a hard time saying no to him…and I hated that more than anything else in the world, I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him.
“Fine,” I said shortly. I glanced down at my yoga pants and t-shirt. “Is this okay, or should I change?”
Something about the tone of my voice made James step back. “You’re good,” he said. “Come on. Nick is waiting downstairs.”
I went inside and shut the door as I grabbed my coat. Danielle raised an eyebrow.
“So, you’re going to hear him out?”
I sighed. “You didn’t give me much of a choice,” I groused. “And at least this will make you shut up forever…and I might even get a free meal out of it.”
Danielle clucked her tongue. “Hanna, come on,” she said. “Give him a break.”
I glared at her. “I’ll be home soon,” I said. “So, don’t worry about me.”
Danielle shrugged. “I never do,” she said. “Trust me.”
I shrugged into my coat, then grabbed a scarf, a knitted hat, and gloves before sliding my feet into a pair of shearling boots. James was waiting in the hallway, still holding that box. I followed him downstairs without speaking. As soon as we were settled in the back of James’s car, he turned to me and handed me the box. It wasn’t as heavy as I’d been expecting, which somehow only made me more curious.
“What, you couldn’t even wrap this?” I joked. “Aren’t you trying to get back on my good side?”
“This is serious, Hanna,” James said in a low voice. “I’m not fucking with you.”
The tone of his voice sent a shiver crawling down my back – I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard him sound like that before. Biting my lip, I unfolded the cardboard flaps of the box and peered inside.
The whole box was filled with photos. Frowning, I picked one up and looked at it. It was a shot of James, from the side, as he walked into a London tube station.
“What is this?” I asked, turning to James and frowning. “Who would do this?”
“Keep looking,” James urged. “It gets worse.”
My stomach twisted into anxious knots as I reached into the box and grabbed a handful of photos. Suddenly, the car lurched sharply to the left and the box fell from my lap, spilling over the floorboards of the backseat. James turned on the interior lights and I gasped as I looked down and saw dozens of photos of James…and photos of myself, too. Some of them were as recent as the day before yesterday – I recognized the outfit I’d been wearing.
“Oh my god,” I said, leaning back against the seat and covering my mouth with both hands. “What the fuck is this? Who would do something so creepy?”
James shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I left work and found this outside of my condo.”
“Was there a note?”
“No. There was a bunch of paper on top of the pictures, and all of the sheets were blank.”
A cold chill ran down my spine and I began to feel numb.
“I know it’s scary,” James said. He reached out and put a hand on my thigh. His touch was both warm and comforting and I put my hand on top of his. Compared to my cold skin, he felt almost hot to the touch. Suddenly, I was so glad that I’d listened to him and decided to hear him out. Deep down, I hadn’t wanted to believe that James could be capable of such cruel deception…but I’d been in so much pain that I’d taken every precaution to keep myself (and my heart) safe from unnecessary pain.
“It is scary,” I admitted. “But thank you for showing me.”
James nodded. “I think I’m dealing with a real psychopath here,” he said. “And I want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always ensure your safety, Hanna.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said softly.
The car slowed to a stop.
“Do you still feel like eating?”
I thought about it. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but seeing the photos had really frightened me. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go back home, even though Danielle was there.
“I do,” I said. “At least, I feel like being with you.”
James visibly relaxed. “Good,” he said. He twined his fingers with mine and squeezed my hand. “I’m glad, Hanna.”
“I’m glad I listened to you,” I said. “I’m sorry I was so stubborn. I just…” I trailed off. I didn’t want to explain how hurt I’d been feeling. Even though I was no longer angry with James, I still didn’t want him to know.
“You don’t have to explain,” James said. He cleared his throat and gestured to the door. “Shall we?” James offered me his hand and helped me out of the backseat and into the foyer of the restaurant. It wasn’t too fancy, but the smell of roasting meat was wafting through the air and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the aroma.