Trapped inside myself, the minutes slip away.
It’s not until lightning flashes nearby, showing me the reflection of a dark figure standing beside me off the gleam of my father’s casket, that I glance up.
My first thought when I take in the grim face of the man standing beside me, holding a black umbrella over my head, is that Death has decided to come for me, too.
Come to take me to my parents.
I’m almost happy for a second.
Then recognition hits and I feel something besides pain.
I feel panicked.
Where is Beth and Amanda?
Turning away from James, my eyes scan the cemetery, searching for them.
“They had to leave. It’s not good for Beth to be out in the rain, given her condition,” James says, answering my unspoken question.
Shaking my head in disbelief, I glance back at him, confirming he’s real, then I start to walk to where I think Johnathan parked.
James follows beside me, holding the umbrella over my head.
No matter how fast or slow I walk, he keeps pace.
When I finally crest the small hill leading to Saint Michael’s parking lot, I stop in surprise.
The parking lot is completely empty save for one car, a black BMW. Johnathan’s silver Lexus is nowhere to be seen.
He wasn’t lying. They left me… they really left me.
It takes a minute or two for the shock to wear off before I can bring myself to speak to James.
“Are they coming back?” I ask without turning to look at him.
I can’t bring myself to look at him again.
I can’t look at the man who rejected me when I was at my weakest.
It took some time, but I made peace with what happened between us that night. I still don’t understand why things played out like they did, but I made peace with it.
Things were said and done in the heat of the moment. Things I regret.
Now that I know who and what he is, I probably would have regretted it even more if he didn’t push me away like he did.
If anything, the entire situation makes me feel embarrassed.
I made a fool of myself by losing my head over a handsome man.
And being near him, even now, only reminds me of it.
“No,” James answers, and I turn to him in surprise.
Earlier, his expression was grim, but now there’s this strange intense look on his face.
He had the same look on his face before he kissed me that night…
As dead as I am inside, my heart still manages to skip a beat before I swallow and force myself to look away.
I sense James stepping closer to me as I try to figure out what the hell to do now.
My ride is gone, and I’m pretty sure I left my purse in Johnathan’s backseat.
I have no money and no phone on me.
All I have is this damp flag I’ve been clutching.
With no other choice, I start to walk toward the church. Maybe someone will take pity on me and let me use their phone.
“Sophia,” James says and grabs my elbow to stop me.
Just like his intense look, his touch penetrates through my numbed haze, affecting me in weird, unwanted ways.
And I know deep down I shouldn’t be feeling anything right now but pain.
Both alarmed and disturbed, I rip my elbow out of his grip and whip around to face him. “What do you want?”
What is he even doing here?
The last time I saw him at Johnathan and Beth’s house, he was a complete dick to me. In front of Johnathan, he acted like he didn’t even know me, and his demeanor was cold, bordering on nasty.
James stares at the hand that touched me for a moment before making a fist and dropping it at his side. I watch his nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath like he’s trying to steady himself.
Then his dark eyes meet mine. “I want to give you a ride home.”
What he said is so absurd, so damn ludicrous, I almost laugh.
He wants to give me a ride home? Now? After all this time?
Once again, I find myself shaking my head in disbelief.
Is this a dream?
Did I fall asleep?
Or is this a cruel joke?
“Thanks… but no thanks,” I manage to tell him with a straight face, swallowing back what I really want to say.
That ship has totally sailed.
It sailed so fast, so far, it crashed and burned months ago.
James frowns at my reaction, but that’s all I see before I turn my back on him again with every intention of walking away.
Unfortunately, he seems determined to bother me.
Grabbing my elbow, he pulls, forcing me to turn and step into his space.
“It wasn’t a request, Sophia,” he rasps down at me, that intense expression back on his sickeningly handsome face.
God, why does he have to be so damn handsome?
“I’m giving you a ride home to keep you safe.”