Chapter 42: Forty Two

Mara.

Her sleek black ponytail swung with each step, her shopping bags brushing against her knees, her boots clicking confidently against the polished mall floor. She was dressed like she’d walked out of an effortlessly cool Instagram post, blazer, jeans, oversized tote slung on her shoulder. Her face was half focused on her phone, until her eyes lifted…

And landed on us.

Her steps slowed. The change was subtle, but immediate.

“Declan.” I whispered. I took a step back from him, noticing how close we had been standing. He turned to the side, and noticed Mara walking up to us.

I felt the shift before she even spoke. Felt the way Declan’s hand, still loosely holding my shopping bag, twitched slightly at his side.

Mara approached with a bright, practiced smile.

“Well,” she said, drawing out the word just a little too long. “This is… unexpected.”

“Hey!” I said quickly, my voice lifting half an octave. “What are the odds?”

“I was just picking up a gift for my cousin at Sephora. But it looks like you’ve been busy.”

She tilted her chin toward the cream colored shopping bag in Declan’s hand.

I wanted to snatch it back, to hide it, to suddenly develop the power of invisibility.

“Oh,” I said, forcing a laugh, “yeah, I needed something for the presentation Monday. Just figured I’d look while I had the chance.”

Mara’s gaze flicked from me to Declan, then back again, her eyes sharp, thoughtful, too still.

“You guys here together?” she asked, casually enough to almost pass as innocent.

“No!” I said. Then, trying to walk it back, “I mean. not like together together. We just ran into each other here. Total coincidence.”

Declan remained composed beside me, cool and unreadable as ever. He adjusted the bag slightly in his hand.

“I asked Miss Whitefield for her opinion on something,” he said simply. “Its my mother’s birthday.”

Mara’s expression didn’t shift. But something in the air did.

“But you just said,” she looked at me, “You wanted something for the presentation.”

Fuck. “Um, yeah, we just bought our things together so we could get a discount. Dr. Ashwell was nice to help out.”

“That’s... really nice of you,” she said, voice even. “Didn’t know you were into shopping.”

Declan’s mouth curved, faint and deliberate. “You don't know me outside of class, Miss Allen. But to answer your question, I do know how to pick a shirt.”

“Or a dress,” she murmured, her eyes dropping once more to the shopping bag.

Silence pulsed between us for a long second.

She smiled again, smaller this time. “Well. I hope the outfit’s killer. You’ll need to stand out, with the RA spot and all.”

Her tone was breezy, but it held an edge.

I swallowed. “Yeah. Hoping it helps.”

“I’m sure it will.” She looked at Declan again. “Anyway. Enjoy your weekend… both of you.”

She turned smoothly, walking away down the corridor, back stiff, pace light.

I exhaled, slow and unsteady, once she was gone.

Declan glanced at me. “That felt… subtle.”

“She’s going to say something,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.

“She doesn’t have proof.”

“She doesn’t need it,” I said. “She just needs suspicion. She already didn’t like how close we were in class.”

Declan looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you want me to handle it?”

“No,” I said, sharper than I meant. Then softer, “No. If you do, it’ll make it worse.”

He nodded slowly. “Then we lay low. Let it blow over. Anyway, its a small place. We bumped into each other. Totally normal.”

I stared down at my hands. “It’s just… she’s not stupid.”

“She’s not you either,” Declan said, with quiet force. “Let her talk. You know who you are. Its her word against ours.”

I met his eyes, and the steadiness in them calmed the rattling in my chest.

But even as we stood there, in the soft glow of the mall lights, with the scent of espresso in the air and my new outfit folded neatly in a bag beside us, I felt the weight of Mara’s stare still lingering like smoke.

Not proof. But not nothing.

And the game we’d been playing, of pretending we could pull this off, keep this quiet, suddenly didn’t feel so hypothetical anymore.

Declan noticed me wringing my hands together, my nails digging into my skin. He touched my hands for barely a second, his touch firm but reassuring.

“And if she does say something,” he added, voice dropping lower, steadier, “I will handle it. I’m not going to let this fall on you. Trust me, dove.”

My lips parted, something unsure catching in my throat, as my anxiety was still rising.

“I mean it,” he said, softer now. “Let me worry about Mara. You just focus on your proposal and that presentation. That’s where all your energy should be.”

The weight on my chest lifted, just a little.

I nodded. “Okay. But I don’t want you to get in trouble either.”

“I won’t.”

He gave a small, crooked smile. “Besides, I have complete faith in your ability to destroy everyone academically next week.”

I smiled back, finally. “Thanks. For everything.”

“I told you,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you.”

Declan looked around once more, then leaned in closer. “We should leave separately,” he said quietly. “Just in case she’s still nearby. Let’s meet at my car in ten?”

I nodded, grateful for the way he always stayed a step ahead.

Ten minutes later, I opened the passenger door of his car and slid in. The air was cooler inside, and the scent of his cologne filled the small space. He reached over and handed me a small pink box.

“What’s this?” I asked, surprised.

“It’s a cupcake,” he said. “I saw you eyeing them at that bakery stall earlier. Thought it might cheer you up.”

I looked at him, warmth blooming in my chest. “You bought me a pity cupcake?”

He grinned. “No. I bought you a resilience cupcake. For surviving a surprise Mara interrogation.”

I laughed, then opened the box. Chocolate with salted caramel frosting. My favorite.

I bit into it, and for a moment, all the tension of the day melted into sweetness.

“Thanks,” I said softly, licking frosting from my lip. “For this. And for everything.”

He glanced over, his eyes steady on mine. “You don’t have to thank me for the bare minimum.”

“No,” I touched his hand, “I feel so safe with you. Despite the way things are for us. The secrecy, and the hiding. So thank you…for making me feel safe.”

He didn’t say anything at that, just kissed my forehead, and began to drive.