“I don’t know, Mia. This is starting to sound like he’s almost holding you captive –”
“Don’t be silly! Of course he’s not!”
“Uh-huh,” said Jessie skeptically, “sure he’s not. You can just go anywhere you want, do anything you want –”
“Well, no,” admitted Mia, “not exactly –”
“Not at all! He’s keeping you prisoner there –”
“No, he’s not,” protested Mia. Taking a deep breath, she added, “But even if he was, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. You saw it last night – they can nearly kill someone in public and nobody will say boo. Whether we like it or not, they are not subject to our laws. Jessie – please, just let it go . . . I know how to handle my relationship with him. Obviously, it’s not like dating another NYU student, but it’s not all bad –”
“Not all bad? You mean the sex is good?”
Mia blushed, glad that Jessie couldn’t see her. “Well, definitely that – it’s actually pretty amazing . . . but also just spending time with him. He can be really fun . . . and romantic, and he’s a great cook –”
“Oh, don’t tell me . . . are you falling in love with him?”
“No! Of course not!” Mia sincerely hoped she wasn’t lying. “He’s not even human –”
“That’s right! He’s not human! Mia, he’s dangerous. Please be careful, okay? If you feel like you can’t break up with him yet, then don’t . . . but just don’t fall for him, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt . . .”
“Of course, Jessie. Please don’t worry so much – I’m totally fine. But enough about me,” Mia said with false brightness. “What’s the deal with that hot actor you were flirting with all night?”
“Oh, he was a total sweetheart. I gave him my number, and he said he will call today –”
And Jessie told her all about the cute guy and how he was in town for at least a few more months, and how they both enjoyed Chinese food and had the same taste for nineties music . . . It was all so uncomplicated, and Mia envied her roommate for being able to fret over something as ordinary as whether Edgar would call today as promised.
They wrapped up the conversation, and Mia promised to see Jessie the next morning after the Stat exam. And then she settled in to study for the rest of the day.
Chapter 15
On Monday morning, Mia walked out of her Stat exam feeling like she had conquered the world. She’d known the answer to every question and finished the test in half the time. Now she only had to turn in three papers, and the school year would be officially over.
Elated, she texted Jesse to let her know that she was done. Her roommate was probably still taking her BioChem final, so Mia decided to chill in the park for a bit and wait for Jessie to finish up.
Parking herself on a bench, she pulled out her phone to call her parents and let them know that the test had gone well. But before she could even press a button, a man sat down right next to her, and Mia found herself looking into a familiar pair of blue eyes.
“John! What are you doing here?” Mia asked in surprise. She had always seen him inside her apartment, and it was a bit of a shock to see him out in the open like this.
“I wanted to talk to you about something important, and I wasn’t sure when you would be home next,” he said. “But first, let me ask you . . . are you all right?”
“Uh, yeah.” Mia flushed a little. “Why, did Jessie talk to Jason again?”
“No, but we heard about what happened. Your Saturday night adventure made the local papers.”
Mia shuddered. That was embarrassing. A sca
ry thought occurred to her. “Was my name in the paper? If my parents find out –”
“No, there was only a description. I doubt your family will make the connection.”
Mia exhaled in relief. “Yeah, well, as you can see – I’m totally fine.”
“Why did he attack that guy like that?
Mia shrugged. “He’s just possessive, I guess. I was really scared, actually, because I thought he’d found out I was helping you. Turns out I was wrong, but there was a very unpleasant hour when I was certain he would kill me.”
John regarded her with a calm, level gaze. “It’s a risk that we all run, unfortunately,” he said.