Chapter 201 Goodnignt Lisa

Chapter 201 Goodnignt Lisa
PRESENT

Lisa

The walk upstairs was its own kind of torture.

The cabin had gone unusually quiet after Justin and Sally disappeared ahead of us, leaving behind nothing but the soft hum of the lights and the occasional creak of old wood beneath our feet. 

I walked a few steps ahead, painfully aware of Tobias following behind me. He wasn't saying anything. Neither was I. Yet somehow the silence between us was louder than any conversation we'd shared all evening. 

My heart refused to calm down after what had happened downstairs. Every time I replayed the feeling of his thumb brushing across my lips, my stomach tightened all over again. 

I had never known wanting could feel like this. It settled low in my belly, fluttering relentlessly, reminding me with every heartbeat that the boy responsible for every confusing emotion inside me was only a few feet behind me. 

He didn't have to touch me. He didn't even have to speak. Simply knowing he was there was enough to leave me hopelessly distracted.

When we reached the end of the hallway, I stopped outside the bedroom he'd shown me earlier. My fingers wrapped around the brass doorknob, but I didn't turn it immediately. 

Instead, I found myself standing there with my back to him, gathering courage for something as simple as saying goodnight. 

Slowly, I glanced over my shoulder. Tobias had stopped a short distance away, one shoulder resting lazily against the opposite wall. His hands remained tucked inside the pockets of his jacket, his posture relaxed, but his eyes... his eyes hadn't left me once. They followed every tiny movement I made with quiet patience, making my pulse trip over itself all over again. I bit the inside of my cheek before finally forcing out the words.

"I guess..." I murmured quietly, "it's goodnight then."

He held my gaze for a long moment before tilting his head almost thoughtfully.

"Goodnight, Lisa."

The words were simple.

I swallowed against the strange disappointment rising inside me. Lisa. Not baby. Not some silly nickname that would've made my stomach somersault all over again. Just Lisa. 

I hated how much that bothered me. I nodded anyway and turned the knob, pushing the door open before pausing once more. Something inside me refused to let the conversation end there. I looked back at him again.

"I... I didn't tell Frank or my uncle I was coming here tonight." My voice came out smaller than I wanted. "I don't know what they'll do when they realize I'm gone."

He didn't hesitate.

"You don't have to worry about them anymore, Lisa."

His certainty caught me off guard.

I frowned. "I don't follow."

"You'll be fine."

My brows knitted together the more.
"What did you do, Tobias?"

He pushed himself away from the wall and began walking toward me with slow steps. 

Every instinct screamed at me to step backward, yet my feet remained rooted to the floor. My breathing grew shallow as the distance between us disappeared inch by inch. He finally stopped close enough that I had to tilt my head back to keep looking into his eyes. My own heart hammered so loudly against my chest.

For one reckless second, my imagination betrayed me.

Surely...

Surely this was it.

He was standing impossibly close now. His face only inches from mine. I could feel the warmth of his breath brushing softly across my skin. My eyes darted instinctively to his lips before lifting back to his eyes again. 

Every nerve ending inside my body stood on edge as I waited. Waited for him to lean in. Waited for him to finally close the tiny space separating us. My fingers curled tightly around the doorknob behind me.
Instead...

My bedroom door swung open behind me.

The movement startled me enough that I stumbled backward into the room, and Tobias caught the edge of the door before it could swing shut again. He leaned in just enough for his voice to brush against my ear, low and impossibly gentle.

"All you need to worry about, baby girl..." he rasped, his eyes never leaving mine, "...is sleeping like a princess tonight." The corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. "Let tomorrow worry about itself. Okay?"

His lips were so close to mine that my breath caught.

So close.

Close enough that if either of us leaned forward the tiniest bit...

But neither of us did.

I nodded like a fool when usually I would have demanded for more explanation.

He held my gaze for another heartbeat before stepping back, letting the door slip from his fingers.

"Goodnight, Lisa."

This time I couldn't even answer.

I simply watched him walk away.

I remained exactly where I was, my back pressed firmly against it, both hands flying to my chest as though they could somehow calm the frantic rhythm pounding beneath my ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut, tipped my head back against the wood and let out the longest breath of my life. My entire face burned. 

My lips still tingled where his thumb had brushed them downstairs, and now his voice echoed relentlessly through my head.

Baby girl.

I smiled before I could stop myself. I stepped into my room, smile still intact, pulse still racing.

Then I heard it. His footsteps, slow and steady.

Growing quieter with every passing second as he disappeared farther down the hallway.

The smile slowly faded.

A ridiculous wave of disappointment settled over me, making me groan softly at myself. What exactly had I expected? That he would suddenly come back and kiss me? That he would knock on my door five minutes later because he couldn't stay away? I covered my face with both hands and laughed under my breath.

Get a grip, Lisa.

"You've officially lost your mind."

Still smiling at my own stupidity, I finally pushed myself away from the door and took a few steps farther into the room, already reaching for the zipper at the back of my dress. I had barely made it to the foot of the bed when a knock sounded behind me.

My heart leapt.

I spun around so quickly I nearly tripped over my own feet.

He came back.

Without bothering to compose myself, I hurried to the door and pulled it open with far more excitement than I cared to admit.