Red Herring ✔️

55. Spooked

With less than ten words, Christian told them that he was driving them back to the school so that Jason could get his car. They didn't exchange anymore thoughts or ideas. They didn't discuss what it could mean that Meredith McCormick was probably dead. They didn't wander about the police - what page they were on, if they knew, what they were doing about her disappearance. None of them looked at each other, afraid they'd see the fear in each other's eyes.

If it wasn't Demi that killed Mary Anne's mom, then who did?

When Mazie tried to exit Christian's truck, he quickly grabbed onto her arm to stop her from leaving. "Stay. I'll drive tomorrow."

She didn't take much convincing. Neither did she want to be alone right now. So she shut the door and leaned back in her seat, while Christian drove them to their little cul-de-sac in their quiet neighborhood decorated with scarecrows, hay bales, and oversized pumpkins. Fe would ask about her car, and she would have to explain that Christian drove them home together. She would have questions about that and Mazie didn't really have the capability to come up with a lie at the moment.

On their drive home, the clouds opened up and drizzled rain on her window, running down in tiny glittering rivulets. The rain quietly pelted the truck's hood, pinging lightly. The windshield wipers squeaked with each slow swipe, clearing the water to better see through the night. Christian drove with precision and less like a speedster, savoring the bubble they sat in together in mutual silence. Their thoughts felt heavy, cluttering the space with tension. She ran a hand over her forehead, lingering at her tender temple which throbbed as she rubbed the ache away.

As he parked the car in the driveway of his home, Christian shut off the engine and stretched his arm along the back of her chair, resting his hand on the headrest. She peeked up at him, liking the view of him filling her space very much. "No one is home. Come inside."

Without any hesitation, she nodded, flicked up her hood, and dove through the rain to his front porch. He was right behind her, flinging water off of his face and out of his hair. Slugging the door open with his shoulder, he ushered her inside and sealed them safely indoors with a quick flick of his wrist that locked the front door. Dumping his backpack on the ground, Christian shucked out of his coat and helped her out of her own jacket before hanging them on the coat rack by the front door.

Wordlessly, Christian moved through his home with familiarity while her eyes still adjusted to the darkness. She followed behind him, watching the way his back muscles bunched with restricted, stiff movements. In the kitchen, he circled the kitchen island, clustered with familial belongings in unorganized disarray that she was sure she wasn't supposed to see the Slater home in this state.

"Where...?" She asked.

Christian glanced at her. "Thea has ballet practice or something. Gabe is working." He opened the fridge but didn't find anything he liked. So he shut the door and went through the freezer too. Nothing there that piqued his interest either. "Something to drink?"

She shook her head while he fetched himself a glass of water from the fridge and drank most of it. She watched his throat work, feeling a tiny flutter in her belly of nerves. Tiptoeing gently around the island, she tucked herself in the corner of the countertop by the stove and the sink. Mazie ran her fingers along the cold and silky smooth marble countertop. Over the rim of his glass, Christian studied her with unblinking eyes. There was a depth to his gaze she hadn't seen before, an open and honest offering to something she couldn't explain with words.

He finished his water and set the glass on the counter beside the sink. Tucking his hands in his pockets, Christian meandered over to her, stepping into her space. He wedged her further into the corner. His scent overwhelmed, warming her senses with pure masculinity. It totally skewed her thinking off course, imagining smelling his cologne directly on his skin perhaps on his neck  and his arms. It was a welcome distraction from the dark thoughts plaguing her mind. She wanted to forget for a little while.