by C. J. Abedi
Maybe it was his intense stare.
“He must have a lot of friends.”
“Well he’s a quarterback, so I think popularity comes with the territory.”
“I’m still surprised you guys aren’t dating.”
His questions were suddenly getting a bit too personal. I wasn’t sure why he was being so inquisitive or why he even cared. Or why he’d even think that Devilyn and I would be dating each other.
“No, I don’t date high school students,” I lied. I should have said that I don’t date. That would have been more accurate, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Ouch, I guess that’s a bad sign for me then,” he replied as he placed his hands on his heart.
I couldn’t help but laugh. He really was laying it on really thick. I walked over to grab some napkins and condiments for him, when the doors to our restaurant opened and chimed loudly before I had a chance to answer him. I looked over and couldn’t help but smile.
Standing across the room was Devilyn.
A rush of adrenaline ran through my body.
“Speak of the devil,” Patrick whispered.
“Caroline.” The way he said my name was like some ancient Viking or Scottish warlord. “Are you guys still serving dinner?” He casually looked over at Patrick. Even though his voice was calm, I could tell he was tense about something. His arms were at his sides, but one of his hands was balled up in a fist, as if he was preparing for a fight. “I saw your lights on, so I thought I’d take a chance.”
It was fifteen minutes until closing time, but I would have cooked for him myself if I had to. I did not want him to leave. Any uneasiness I felt about Patrick left the second Devilyn walked in. It simply came down to one thing. I felt safe.
Protected.
And something else that I could not put my finger on. I felt a rush when he walked in. A shiver of happiness when his gaze swept over me as if he was making sure that I was okay. Like he cared. Really cared.
I didn’t think Patrick would do anything to me. He was just eating a burger at my parents’ restaurant. There was no crime in that. I guessed that I just didn’t know him and didn’t know what his intentions were. Well, I knew what he was after, but I just wasn’t interested.
I was only interested in Devilyn.
“I’m sure Frank can cook something up for you real quick,” I told him and motioned to one of the stools. “Have a seat.”
“Thank you,” he said as he walked up to the bar stools and smiled at Patrick.
“Hey,” he said as he reached out to shake Patrick’s hand.
“Hi,” Patrick answered as he shook his hand in return.
“Devilyn, this is Patrick. He goes to Plymouth High School,” I said, somehow feeling the need to properly introduce the two.
“Does he?” Devilyn sat down and looked over at Patrick. His eyes were guarded, so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “You’ve certainly come a long way for a hamburger. That’s not to say that you don’t serve the best burgers in town, Caroline.”
“I actually came to see Caroline. The hamburgers are an extra bonus.”
“That’s nice of you,” Devilyn replied in an even tone. I watched the two practically stare each other down. The tension in the room was palpable.
“He also wanted to meet you,” I interjected sensing Devilyn’s unhappiness. “It’s a miracle that you came here tonight. Patrick has a younger brother who plays football.”
“Do you?” Devilyn said softly.
“Yeah. I do. Great sport,” Patrick said evenly.
“It is.”
“You play very well.”
“I try.”
“It doesn’t seem like you have to try at all,” Patrick told him.
“Don’t I?”
“No. It seems to come so naturally.”
I watched the exchanged and couldn’t help but feel like I was listening in on some secret conversation.
“Actually, practice makes perfect,” Devilyn told him.
“It looks like you’ve been practicing a whole lot.”
“I have.”
“To what end?”
“So I’m prepared.” I placed a glass of water in front of Devilyn, suddenly completely uncomfortable by the tension I was feeling. “Thank you, Caroline.”
I wasn’t able to respond.
“There are some plays you can never be prepared for, Devilyn. And there are chinks in everyone’s armor,” Patrick said, as if he’d known him for years.
“You’d have to find them.”
Patrick smiled.
“Oh, I think I have.”
I watched Devilyn. He was perfectly composed. But somehow I felt as if there was a mountain of fury lurking beneath his expression.
“I’m not worried.”
Patrick smiled.
“You’re quite confident. I like that. So, do you have any tips?” Patrick asked suddenly. He smiled amiably at Devilyn. “For my kid brother?”
“I do, actually.” I could hear the anger rising in Devilyn’s voice. “Tell him to practice running. The last thing he’ll ever want to do is get caught. Once you’re caught, there’s no telling what can happen. Because then the rules don’t matter.”
Patrick took a long pause as he stared directly at Devilyn. Moments went by as the two sudden rivals glared at each other. If looks could kill, I thought Devilyn’s might. I didn’t know if I should interrupt or let them continue staring each other down, as it didn’t seem like it would end any time soon.
It’s funny how they say that some people give off the wrong energy, or that sometimes you instantly either like or dislike someone. I could tell by the way each one looked the other over, that this was not a friendship in the making.
“I’ll be sure to let him know,” Patrick said, breaking the silence as he suddenly stood up and reached in his pocket for his wallet. “Unfortunately, it’s getting late, and as Devilyn pointed out, it’s a long drive back home.”
“Drive safely,” Devilyn replied.
“I will,” Patrick replied as he turned to me. “I’ll be in touch, Caroline.”
“That sounds good,” I said as I wiped my hands on my apron and walked around the bar to face him. “It was great seeing you again.”
“Likewise.” Patrick gave me a quick hug.
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
When I closed the door behind him, I let out a sudden sigh of relief.
The tension in the room was finally lifted.
D
I was so incensed I couldn’t see straight.
I knew something wasn’t right from the second I walked into the restaurant. I had never seen him before, but I knew his kind. I knew where he came from, and I knew what he was made of. I couldn’t believe it had been so easy. I couldn’t believe that I had played straight into his hand.
I had literally handed her over to him.
I had left her here unprotected, and he had just waltzed right in. He had counted on her hospitality, and she had not disappointed.
I was secretly so relieved that I had decided to swing by the restaurant to see how she was doing. Even though it was fast becoming a routine of mine. Although I wanted to spend every moment with her or around her, that was simply not possible. Whoever was watching me would no doubt see that my attentions were directed on Caroline. They would see my obsession.
And they would immediately know that she was my queen.
I couldn’t jeopardize her in any way. I had to play it cool.
Get her to trust me but spend my days cautiously.
Some nights I would sit in my car a block or so away from the restaurant and wait for her to close up the diner. Once she was in her car I’d follow her home and stay parked down the street until the lights went out in her room. I always tried to time it so that it looked like I was going someplace in the direction of her home or diner. So if anyone was watching from afar they wouldn’
t know.
At least that is what I had hoped until tonight.
This was the only night that I had intentionally stayed away. I had decided to spend more time near the water, searching for any sign of the Kelpie. When I left the waterfront, I decided to drive by the diner because I had actually missed her. I wanted to see her and just be in her presence. And now, I knew that I should have never even left her alone.
The only thing that caught me off guard was the Kelpie’s sudden departure.
He actually stood up and left. Without a word and without a fight? Surely he must have known.
Surely.
Was he going for help? Was there the slightest chance that he didn’t know who she was?
It was impossible.
I was going mad. How could I go on like this?
“I’ll get your food. Do you really want it to go?” she asked in a soft voice, breaking my chain of thought and completely unaware of the wrath I was moments away from unleashing upon her.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and tried very hard to temper my anger. But I was at my boiling point.
“What were you thinking?” I demanded softly.
“What are you talking about?”
“You just let anyone in here and at any hour?”
“Yes, Devilyn. This place is called a restaurant. We normally serve food to perfect strangers.” I could hear the amusement in her voice. “Imagine that!”
“Who is that guy and why is he following you from Plymouth?” I continued, ignoring her sarcasm. “Doesn’t it strike you to be a bit odd that he would come here.”
I searched her face, demanding an answer. I could see I had ruffled her feathers but I didn’t care. She meant too much to behave any differently.
“Why is it odd, Devilyn?” Her eyes lit up angrily. “Odd because he’s taken a sudden interest in me, that he might actually like me?”
“You are missing the point.”
“And what is that exactly?”
“He’s strange, and he doesn’t give me a good vibe.”
“Strange?”
“Yes. And weird.”
“He’s cute, and he’s a gentleman.”
Cute? If possible she was making me even angrier.
“If you like men who resemble animals, I guess you could call him cute.”
I heard her gasp. I didn’t care. How could she think he was cute?
“That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I couldn’t stop myself. I was furious. With her. Myself. The Kelpie. Caroline for thinking he was attractive. I stood up and reached out and grabbed her hand, pulled her close across the bar until we were just inches apart.
I needed to calm down. This conversation wouldn’t end well if I continued down this path. I wanted to warn her, but I didn’t know how. How could I tell her that she had spent the past hour or so in the presence of someone who desperately wanted to kill her?
To take her life.
To feed her to the sharks and watch as they ripped apart every part of her body, leaving her remains behind without thought or concern for the innocent loved ones she would leave behind. How could I tell her these things, when telling her would either cause her to panic or worse yet think that I had some ulterior motive and ultimately hate me.
When I pushed the rage I felt aside I became acutely aware of the woman that I had just dragged across the counter.
She was staring at my lips.
“You need to listen to me, and you need to stay away from him,” I said in a much lowered voice. Our mouths were practically touching.
“Why?” she asked softly. My hand was suddenly rubbing her arm, and the sensation was so incredible I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.
“Tell me why.” I knew what she was asking.
“He’s no good.” I closed my eyes because I couldn’t meet her gaze. I knew if I did, I’d be lost.
“Maybe the person I should stay away from is you,” she said as she pulled herself away.
I felt cold all over.
“Don’t be so overdramatic,” I muttered.
“I think you should leave, Devilyn.”
I knew she was mad now.
“I’m not leaving until you lock up and I know that you are safe and in your car.”
“I don’t need you to watch over me. Frank is here, and he can protect me from your imaginary danger man,” she said, practically rolling her eyes at me.
The notion of the overweight sous-chef doing anything remotely similar to protecting her was laughable.
“You need to go.”
“I will leave, but you will text me when you get home.”
“Text you?” she said as she placed her hands on her hips. “I’m not your girlfriend, Devilyn. I don’t know why you keep showing up, or why you have been saying the things you’ve been saying or doing the things you’ve been doing lately. I just don’t know what it is you want from me. But this, whatever ‘this’ is, has to stop.”
I knew what I had to say. I just didn’t know how to say it. I shook my head and looked down, accepting defeat.
I slowly got up and began making my way to the front door. I couldn’t let this be the last thing we said to each other tonight. When it came to Caroline, nothing ever went as planned.
“I know you’re mad, and I guess you have a right to be.” She made me so infuriated. I took a deep breath and continued. “I’m only saying these things to you because I care, and maybe I have a ridiculous way of showing it. But I do care”
“You need to leave.”
She wasn’t going to listen. Especially not now. So I left, but I stayed in my car a distance away and made sure she got home.
Safe and sound.
Chapter Thirteen
“We are only falsehood, duplicity, contradiction; we both conceal and disguise ourselves from ourselves.”
—Blaise Pascal
C
I barely slept. In fact, I didn’t sleep at all. Not for a minute. Every second played in my head over and over again.
Every word.
Every moment.
I was obsessing. I had been obsessing since the moment he stepped on the stage of the Manteo High football rally. But things were different now. Devilyn was acting so strangely with me. The touches. The words. I wanted to believe him. I wanted so badly to believe that he cared about me. That he desired me. But I didn’t trust him or myself. What if I was imagining it all? What if I was reading into it?
I shook my head. I didn’t want to be vulnerable. I couldn’t allow myself to get hurt.
When I was with Devilyn everything about him felt so right. When he wasn’t around, I craved him, wished that he would appear. And when he did, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like when he left. It was in the moments in between where chaos would erupt. Where we would say things to each other that would wake me up out of this fog-like state and make me realize that in the end I would be the one to suffer.
I would be the one that would be pained. And right now, I couldn’t handle that.
I knew myself. If I allowed myself to feel, it would be over.
I lay in bed and began to relive the details yet again. I don’t know why I overreacted when he told me to be careful around Patrick. I had sensed that something was off as well, but I just felt like disagreeing with him. I felt as if he was only saying the things he said because Patrick seemed to like me. And why was that so unbelievable? Why should I have to stay away from anyone and everyone who showed any interest in me?
My phone rang, and I picked it up quickly. It was Teddy.
“This is early for you,” I teased him. “It’s Saturday. Isn’t this the day you sleep until three?”
“Very funny. I would have, except I had to get up and feed Tommy. My mom left early today for work. She picked up a shift.”
“You must be tired.
”
“Yeah, definitely tired,” he replied as he yawned into the phone. “So what are you up to?”
“Not much,” I replied with a sigh.
“What’s wrong? You don’t sound like yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“You sound down.”
“No, not down—just cranky from working late last night.”
“You close up again?”
“Yeah.”
“So how was the Westmoreland mansion? You haven’t really told me about it,” Teddy asked in an obviously bored tone.
“Uneventful. Their grandfather is really sweet,” I replied. “The house is exactly what you’d picture it to be.”
“Like out of Gone with the Wind?” Teddy asked, suddenly curious.
I giggled. “Kind of, but way nicer.”
“And how was Mr. Football?”
“You mean, Devilyn,” I corrected him.
For some reason I didn’t want Teddy to make fun of him; it felt disloyal.
“Sorry. Devilyn,” Teddy replied after a moment of silence.
“He was nice. Actually very welcoming.”
Silence again.
“Hmm…welcoming. That sounds evasive,” he chided with a hint of laughter in his voice. “So have you fallen for him like all the other girls at the school?”
“No!” I practically screamed into the phone. “Are you crazy?!”
I am, I thought. Crazy head over heels.
“Are you sure?” he continued, goading me on.
“Yes!” I knew I probably sounded guilty of all of the above, but what could I do? I didn’t want Teddy to know I was obsessed. He would be so disappointed in me. “How’s your genealogy project coming along?”
“Nice change of topic,” Teddy said through his laughter. “It’s fine. I mean, talk about burning brain cells. Every time I’m around that cheerleader my IQ goes down.”
I was cracking up. “You just made my morning.”
“I’m glad I’m good for something.”
We spent another few minutes discussing school projects, and then I told him I’d call him later. After a couple more hours wasting away the morning, lying in bed with Famous by my side, I finally managed to drag myself out of bed and down the stairs. My stomach was growling, so I thought it might be best to join my parents for a very late breakfast. I reluctantly walked down the stairs in a zombie-like state. I wasn’t even halfway down when I heard the words that would forever change the course of my life.