HAUNTINGLY | 18+

35 | Want

A couple of days have passed since the car accident, and Xavier has been sticking to me like glue. I had to practically threaten him, just so he can let me have some privacy in the bathroom.

Don't get me wrong, I'm appreciative of his care and attention, but I'm starting to feel guilty. Keeping him in the dark about Jason's appearance at the party is gnawing at me.

He's been incredibly supportive, and I've been holding onto this secret. I sighed, my reflection staring back at me from the bathroom mirror. My gaze dropped to the stitches on my body.

I gently applied a fresh bandage over the stitches. Typically, Xavier would handle this, but he wasn't around today. After some convincing, he finally believed I was well enough for him to return to work.

Exiting the bathroom, I headed into Xavier's closet. I pulled on one of his white t-shirts to go with my very short pajama shorts. After slipping into a pair of sneakers, I walk out of his room and down the stairs.

Reaching the kitchen, I grabbed a water bottle and an apple. I settled onto a stool and gazed out of the window as I took a bite from the apple.

My eyes shifted from one guard to the next. Their routine seemed monotonous – I wondered how they managed to stand in the same position all day.

Abruptly, my eyes snagged on a flash of black hair crouching behind one of the parked cars. My pulse quickened, and I slid off the stool, walking toward the window.

It couldn't be Jason. There's no way he would have been able to get past all these guards.

I continued to fixate on that spot, tension mounting, until the figure straightened, revealing his face. Relief washed over me as I realized it was just one of the guards.

I let out a slow exhale, chiding myself for these unnecessary moments of panic. I had to stop jumping to conclusions every time I spotted a familiar detail.

"Are you okay?" Hunter's voice jolted me, and my hand instinctively clamped over my heart.

"You scared me," I confessed, offering him a glance. "I didn't notice you walk in. How long have you been standing there?"

"I just got here," he replied, closing the distance to the window.

I nodded, my eyes flickering to the scene outside once more, the guard still within my line of sight.

"You don't seem okay, Layla. Ever since the party, you've been acting strange," Hunter noted, his gaze following mine as he tried to spot what had caught my attention.

"I'm fine," I affirm, distancing myself from him and settling onto a stool.

"If you need someone to talk to, I could—"

"I said I'm fine," I cut him off sharply, the surge of anger surprising both of us.

He raises his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright."

I exhale, my frustration deflating. "I'm sorry, Hunter. That was harsher than I intended."

He smirks. "I'm a big boy, I can take it," he reassures me with a chuckle. "So, who were you staring at this time?"

I meet his gaze, feeling my heart rate quicken. I can't admit to him that I thought I saw Jason; that would lead to a barrage of questions. And eventually, he'd tell everything to Xavier.

His eyes bore into mine, waiting for an answer. "I was just watching the guards," I reply, which wasn't entirely untrue.

"Thinking of throwing another party?" Hunter teases.