Indisputably Yours

30.

Tristan sprang to his feet, his fingers working swiftly to button up his blazer. "Are you sure?"

I nodded silently, unable to tear my gaze away from the underbrush where the shadow had been. "I'm sure."

His brows furrowed as he scanned the area I pointed to. "Do you think it could've been a trick of the light?"

I shook my head. "No, Tristan, I swear I saw someone." There was a figure lurking in those bushes. I saw it. "Please believe me."

"Fuck." He exhaled, raking his fingers through his hair. "Alright, you know what, stay here and tidy up, I'll check it out."

When I nodded slowly in agreement, he started toward the bushes, his movements purposeful. As I watched him disappear into the darkness of the garden, my heart pounded louder in my chest and my mind raced with fear and uncertainty.

It couldn't have been anything else; I knew what I saw.

Left alone in the eerie stillness of the night, I started to tidy up, rearranging my underwear and straightening my disheveled attire.

Minutes felt like an eternity.

I fidgeted with my dress, trying to calm my nerves while I waited for Tristan to return. The fear of being watched lingered, making every rustle of the leaves feel like a potential threat. After a while, he emerged from the shadows, surprisingly cradling a small, pouting dog in his arms. "I couldn't find anyone," he announced softly, his eyes on the black baby Shepherd as he stroked its fur. "But I did find this little guy roaming around."

A dog?

I stared at it in disbelief, my confusion deepening. "But..." I could have sworn I saw a person, not a harmless puppy.

"I think he's lost his owner," Tristan added, meeting my eyes. "He has a collar on. Maybe it was just the dog moving in the shadows that you saw, not a person, Sienna."

The rational part of me wanted to accept his explanation, but the memory of that dark statuette was too vivid.

"I saw a human figure, Tristan."

"It could've been a mistake."

"It wasn't."

"It could've."

"I know what I saw, okay!" I snapped, feeling a surge of desperation. "Someone watched us; they might have even recorded us. It wasn't the damn dog."

Tristan sighed. "Baby, you need to calm down."

"No." I squeezed my fists. "I know what I saw, I'm not crazy."

"I know, baby." Gently setting the dog down, he crouched beside me. "It's just that sometimes fear and adrenaline can do strange things to our perception. It could have simply been your imagination."

I bit hard into my bottom lip, struggling to reconcile what I saw with his explanation.

I hadn't realized my hands were shaking until he held them still between his. "Princess, this place is entirely secure. I made sure of it myself before bringing you here."

I stared at him. I wanted to argue, to insist on what I had seen, but his calm demeanor started to wear down my resistance.

Maybe he was right; maybe it was just a trick of the light, a figment of my fear.

The dog whined beside us. I turned to him. The poor thing must need something. Reluctantly, I nodded to Tristan. "Maybe you're right..." I murmured, though the doubt still gnawed at me. Even if I didn't believe it completely, for now, I agreed with him, hoping he was right and it was nothing more than a figment of my imagination running wild amid our passionate encounter. "I'm sorry, I just felt so overwhelmed."