Page 39 of Say You'll Stay
Without conscious thought, I move closer to Louis, pressing into his side like a flower leaning toward the sun. Louis might be my best friend, but he’s no June.
His hand squeezes my shoulder, a silent question jarred from its path by the way my entire body tenses like a tripwire.
I shake my head minutely, just once. A clear signal not to draw attention, not to make a scene. He nods, the slightest dip of his chin to show he understands my meaning.
Turning to Bianca, he flashes his most devastating grin, the one that never fails to melt any resistance in its path.
“Well, my dear, what say we make our way inside? I have it on good authority the barista here was trained by Tibetan monks to imbue each drop of coffee with the life-altering power of transcendent clarity.”
Bianca arches an elegant brow at her uncle but allows herself to be swept up in his charismatic wake with what is clearly long-practiced ease. I follow, keeping their bodies between me and the street as much as possible while fighting to control my hammering heart.
The cafe is blessedly cool, a soothing oasis that allows me to draw a stabilizing breath. As we stake out a plush corner booth, hemmed in on all sides, I finally allow some of the panicked tension to ebb.
“Alright there, darling?” Louis asks, voice pitched low. He settles in next to me, shielding me from the room while keeping the retreat paths clear. An unconscious exploitation of tactical positioning that speaks to deeper currents lurking beneath his suave, easygoing exterior.
“I…yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” The lie feels leaden on my tongue, but I can’t quite bring myself to shatter the illusion of normalcy just yet. “Just a long couple of days, I suppose.”
He narrows those arresting green eyes at me, letting the silence spill just long enough to make it clear he’s not buying my deflection for a second. I huff out a resigned breath, slumping ever so slightly against his solid frame.
“Later,” I murmur, knowing any further evasion is an exercise in futility. He knows I have a stalker and leaving me open to danger was the last thing on his mind.
Louis nods, wordless understanding and acceptance. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Bianca studying us both with an unreadable expression.
The moment passes, like so many others. The three of us slip into the effortless rhythms of banter and conversation, seamlessly weaving in Bianca as if she’s been part of our dynamic all along.
Watching the easy way Louis and his niece interact, the genuine warmth and affection that shines through their every interaction. I am happy for my friend. He’s looked for acceptance for so long, and with all he does for everyone else.
It’s something that now, more than ever, I know he needs.
When at last the endless hours of travel catch up to me, it takes very little effort to let Louis herd me toward the discreet town car idling out front. Bianca gives me a warm farewell, pressing a soft kiss to each of my cheeks in a way that feels so earnestly affectionate I nearly forget how to breathe.
“Until next time, dear Cara,” she murmurs, those striking eyes filled with a sincerity that tugs at my heart.
I manage a smile and a small nod, the lump in my throat too thick for words. She turns, all effortless elegance and affluent grace as she drifts away into the San Diego night.
Beside me, Louis radiates a bittersweet aura, like a devoted son forced to watch his child strike out on their own. There’s an ancient pride there, one he clearly takes great pains to conceal behind his characteristic unflappable composure.
“She’s extraordinary, isn’t she?” The wistful words slip from his lips in a hushed murmur, more an exhalation of paternal awe than any need for validation.
“Yes,” I answer just as quietly, understanding on a bone-deep level that this isn’t a moment for noisy grandstanding. “Yes, she really is.”
The ghost of a melancholic smile plays over his features before the mask of urbane inscrutability descends once more. Tucking my hand securely into the crook of his elbow, he guides me toward the waiting car.
Once inside, I can’t quite stifle the groan of relief as I sink into the plush leather seat. Like an overstuffed body settling into a perfectly tailored impression, the whispers of the outside world finally fade into irrelevance.
Louis slides in alongside me, the heavy door thudding shut and cutting off the last tendrils of the city’s raucous symphony. We sit for a long stretch in that casually contented silence that so few others in the world seem capable of savoring.
I feel my eyes beginning to drift shut, sinking into the first true peace I’ve tasted in what feels like a small eternity. Just when I teeter onto the precipice of blissful oblivion, I feel Louis shift minutely beside me.
“We’re safe now, you know,” he murmurs, so softly I barely catch the words. “Whatever had your hackles up back there.”
One eye creaks open to find him studying me intently, those artfully tousled chestnut locks lending his casually immaculate appearance a roguish charm. His jade gaze is hypnotic in the dimness, somehow both resolute and infinitely inviting.
I search his expression, so invasive, yet equally incapable of even the slightest act of deception. It’s there, in those unguarded windows to his soul, that I find my answer.
And more - a sense of security, of impregnable sanctuary that has been so scarce in the chaos of my life lately.
With a tremulous sigh, I let the last of the tension seep from my body and give in to the trust Louis has always, without question or falter, extended to me. Pillowing my head on his shoulder, I soak in the scents of cedar and home as the night whispers past outside our plush sanctuary.