30. Elrik

30

ELRIK

J ust as Brittney lunged at me, I heard a sound at the door. As Brittney's lips landed on mine, I wrenched away from her.

Melly stood in the opening, gaping at us. Shock filled her eyes, followed by tears. As she spun around and fled from my office, I called out her name, but she didn't stop.

I knew what she was thinking. Her dad abandoned her when she was young. Her mom died, another abandonment. She wasn't confident anyone would ever truly be there for her.

She must think I'd blithely go back to Brittney if she curled her finger my way.

"Elrik," Brittney cried out, grabbing my arm as I tried to get past her. "Wait."

As Melly fled, I glared at Brittney. "What in the hell did you just do?"

She shook her head, and tears filled the eyes I'd adored from the time hormones first started surging through me. I'd seen her as a friend before that, but I suddenly felt awkward in my skin whenever she was around. I couldn't figure out what to do with my ungainly body, and my tongue was always tied in a knot.

"I made a mistake," she said. "I only want to be with you."

"Did my brother kick you out?"

Her face tightened, but her eyes gave her away. Her chin lifted. "The wedding's off."

"There won't be one with me. Go back to Canada. You won't find what you want here."

"You love me."

"I don't." After laying it out for her quickly, I rushed from my office and out onto the sidewalk, but I didn't see Melly anywhere.

Her car peeled out of the parking lot across the road and headed south on Main Street.

I rushed to my truck and took off after her. I had to catch up to her, had to tell her that I wasn't getting back with Brittney.

That I loved her.

I didn't want to run her off the road, however, so I followed at a slow pace, keeping far enough back she wouldn't realize I was there. When she stopped and got out, I'd beg her to let me explain.

She took the coastal road and pulled into the small strip mall on the edge of town. Since she was parking on the right side of the lot, I slowly passed the open area and pulled in on the opposite side, taking a spot far from her vehicle, beneath some trees with limbs extending out over the lot and among a cluster of other trucks to mask mine.

I got out, keeping low while I watched her leave her car. She held a white envelope. She didn't look my way, but I remained hunched down beside a black truck, peering over the hood. An ice lord had distinctive coloring, even in a town catering to monsters. Other than a few aliens, I was the only blue guy living in or around Mystic Harbor.

When Melly rounded the far end of the strip mall as if she was going to enter one of the buildings from a back entrance, I bolted after her, slinking to the end of the building and watching as she strode through the pretty garden behind Eerie Editions. I'd read about the place online. They encouraged guests to purchase a drink or snack from their small coffee shop inside and sit in the garden to savor their beverage while reading.

A wooden box had been placed beneath a broad oak tree on the far edge of the garden, close by the dense woods that stretched at least five or so acres toward the shore.

Melly stooped down in front of the box. After peering around, she opened it and placed the envelope inside. She straightened and backed away, pausing beside a bench to look every which way again.

I remained in the shadow of the building; confident she didn't see me.

There was no one around, not even inside the garden, though the bookstore didn't open until noon on weekdays.

With a frown, she walked back the way she'd come. I waited, leaning against the building, letting the shade hide me.

She was walking past me when she came to an abrupt stop. Turning, she squinted toward me. "Elrik?"

"Can I explain?" I said.