Chapter 5

　　Alice

　　"Last Friday, I found a phone on the table Alice was sitting at," Lance said, as casually as if he wasn't currently redefining the word audacity. I simply shot him a look sharp enough to slice skin, if looks could kill, he had been laying flat on the floor already. Still, he leaned back, relaxed, acting like he wasn't inventing an entire cover story right in front of my mother.

　　"And you think it's hers?" Uncle Lemuel asked, brows pulling together, though he sounded more curious than suspicious.

　　"Yes. No one was sitting there before she did." He gave a little shrug, a tiny smirk tugging at his mouth. God, he actually looked proud of himself. "I was on a call, so I didn't get to return it immediately."

　　The audacity! The nerve! The confidence and the creativity! It was impressive and infuriating at the same time. The type of lie you want to applaud while simultaneously hitting him with an ID strap.

　　"I kept calling last Friday night, but no one was answering," Mommy said, the worry still evident in her voice.

　　"I was busy with my little rider, so I didn't notice," Lance replied.

　　"Little rider?" Mommy repeated, her brows knitting together. There was pure confusion on her face.

　　Heat crawled up my neck. Oh my god. Don't expose me with those words. Not here. Not now.

　　"Honey, don't mind that," Uncle Lemuel cut in quickly, and I swear I heard the relief leaking out of my lungs. Thank you, Uncle. At least you know what double meaning sounds like. "Lance, you don't need to go into details. You could've simply said you were busy."

　　Lance chuckled, amused, as if he enjoyed dancing on the line between disaster and safety. "Alright. As I was saying, I was busy that night." Of course, he was calm. Meanwhile, I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and he might accidentally or intentionally shove me off any second.

　　"She can just get it tomorrow," he added, as if this wasn't a ticking time bomb waiting to explode in my face.

　　"Can't you just send it here?" I tried, but Mommy cut me off immediately.

　　"Dear, your Uncle Lemuel said Lance is busy with his business. He came here today because he finally had time."

　　Of course he had a reason. But this bastard didn't look surprised when he saw me earlier. Does he already know who I was even before tonight? Or does he know me already since Friday night?

　　"I think it's better if you go to his office yourself," she added.

　　"Huh?" My voice came out higher than it should've. My eyes widened so much they practically reached the full moon phase. I swear I heard my heartbeat echo inside my head.

　　"Why? Is something wrong? Are you busy tomorrow?" she asked with quick, motherly concern immediately kicking in while Lance, on my right, was clearly hiding a smirk. Damn. He was enjoying this. He was waiting for me to break, to panic, to combust right in front of him.

　　"N-No, not really..." I mumbled.

　　"Good. After school, before your part-time work, go to his office."

　　I had no escape even though I wanted to protest. I wanted to tell Mom that she's practically sending me straight to a lion's den who happens to know exactly how I taste, but obviously that wasn't an option.

　　"Alice?" Mommy's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

　　"Yes, Mommy... I'll go tomorrow," I answered, forcing a smile even though my hands felt numb.

　　"I'll give you the address later," Lance said with a grin. That grin. The one who told me he knew exactly what he was doing.

　　I glared at him, my eyes practically stabbing him, but I kept my face sweet and harmless for Mommy and Uncle Lemuel. They couldn't sense even a hint of tension. They couldn't know we'd already crossed a line no one could uncross.

　　Damn you, Lance...

　　Tomorrow, I'll face him again. I had no choice.

　　I tried to return to my food, but my body was stiff, every nerve on edge. Each bite still tasted like cardboard even though I knew how much effort Mom and Uncle exerted in making the dishes. My mind ran in five directions at once, all of them leading straight to tomorrow. To him. To danger.

　　What had I done in my past life to deserve this kind of cosmic torture? Karma? Curse?

　　A love spell gone horribly wrong?

　　And as if the night wasn't stressful enough, Uncle Lemuel insisted on having a "little chat" on the terrace. It's a porch actually.

　　And of course, Lance didn't say no.

　　Now they were outside bonding, sipping air like nothing was happening, while I was stuck preparing coffee like some unwilling extra in my own nightmare.

　　I stood in front of the coffee machine, hands on my waist, staring at it like it might spit out an escape route. My mind was blank, absolutely nothing. All I knew was that I didn't want to see him tomorrow.

　　But I also did.

　　But I didn't.

　　But I did.

　　Oh, someone help me!

　　I couldn't even pretend to be sick. Mommy would drag me to the ER for a simple headache. Literally.

　　I was so deep in my own thoughts that I accidentally punched the air out of frustration.

　　Which is when I felt it.

　　A firm hand, hot, and unmistakably familiar sliding around my waist from behind. His chest brushed my back, and my breath hitched at the sudden closeness.

　　Then his lips touched my ear.

　　"My little rider... miss me?"

　　That voice.

　　Fvcking kryptonite.

　　Low, teasing, intimate, like he knew exactly which parts of me woke up when he spoke like that.

　　I jerked, not because I was scared, no. Never that.

　　But because the mix of shock, heat, and unwanted excitement shot through me like lightning.

　　"W-What the—"

　　My brain fried. Words abandoned me.

　　I turned to face him, which was the biggest mistake of the night.

　　Because the moment I did, my lips brushed against his.

　　It was quick. Barely a second.

　　But the spark?

　　Devastating.

　　My whole world shuddered.

　　The room tilted.

　　My pulse ricocheted.

　　He was too close.

　　I could feel the warmth of his breath, smell the addicting scent of him, and see the hunger in his eyes that were practically devouring me.

　　And the worst part?

　　I didn't know if I wanted to push him away...

　　Or pull him in and finish what we started.

　　"What do you think you're doing?" My voice was low but sharp as we parted. It felt like waking up from a dangerous dream I willingly stepped into.

　　"Exactly what we did last Friday," he said without a hint of guilt.

　　Calm.

　　Too calm.

　　Meanwhile, my soul was halfway out of my body.

　　"My mom is just outside and your brother is here!" I hissed.

　　I wanted to scream. Or hit him. Or both.

　　He leaned closer again, so close that if I moved even an inch, our lips would meet once more.

　　I gripped the counter harder, grounding myself.

　　"Tomorrow," he murmured, voice dropping an octave. "Get your phone in my office."

　　He paused, holding my gaze like he owned it.

　　"Don't play dumb." His tone was a mix of warning, command, and something darker. "Come... or you'll regret it."

　　Then he turned away, walking straight to the restroom without even glancing back like he hadn't just detonated a bomb at my feet.

　　I stood there frozen, heart pounding, mind spinning.

　　I told myself it was just a phone.

　　Just a pickup.

　　Just a visit.

　　But the way he said it...

　　The way he looked at me...

　　The heat that crawled down my spine at the memory—

　　I knew it wasn't just about the phone.

　　There was something else he wanted.

　　Something more.

　　Something I wasn't sure I was ready to face but knew deep inside I wouldn't be able to resist.