RYAN
Please don’t be a crazy stalker.
The woman jumps in her seat, her hand flying to her chest at the same time her head whips around.
My breath catches in my chest at the sight of her.
No fucking way.
“Harper?”
The woman I spent one of the hottest nights of my life with, if not the hottest night. The same Harper who snuck out the next morning before I had a chance to ask for her phone number, which I really wanted.
What on earth is she doing here? It’s been almost a month since I saw her. She’s definitely not a stalker.
I grab the door handle but meet resistance.
She just keeps staring at me like she’s seen a ghost, so I point my finger to the window.
Her hands tremble slightly when she pushes a button on the door and the glass barrier between us slowly disappears.
Still, she doesn’t say a word. Instead, she continues to stare at me, and I get worried that something is wrong.
I was so distracted by the fact she’s here, in front of my house, I didn’t notice how pale she is. “You okay?”
Pushing my hands in my pockets, I balance on the soles of my feet and wait for her to answer.
“I—” She swallows several times and clears her throat. “I need to talk to you if you have a moment.”
Her focus shifts from me to her lap where she clenches and unclenches her hands, but I didn’t miss the moisture in her eyes. Something is obviously not right, and I have the sudden urge to help her with whatever’s going on.
“Should we go inside?”
Harper presses her lips together, sending me a quick glance. “I’d like that.”
She pushes the button on the door to close the window and takes her purse from the passenger seat. I scan over her the instant she steps outside, taking in her leggings and long blouse. Very different from the black dress and heels she wore the night we met but not any less beautiful. She locks the door and turns around to face me.
“How did you find me?” The question has been at the forefront of my brain since I’m not exactly advertising anywhere online where I live, and we didn’t exchange any info.
She grimaces and plays with the strap of her purse. “I followed you after your swim practice.”
Her admission is quiet but believable.
She followed me?
“Why didn’t you talk to me at the aquatics center?”
“I thought it would be better to have this conversation somewhere in private.”
I’ll let it go for now because she’s too pale for my liking.
Wait a second, she followed me here after practice? “You’ve been sitting here for almost an hour?”
She nods, finally glancing at me again, her blue eyes clear and sad.
If I hadn’t spent time with her before, I’d think all of this is insane. But I did spend time with her, and nothing set off any alarm bells.
“Why did you wait so long?”