When she uncovers his plan to lead an entirely uneventful life, Mia Evian is determined to teach Preston Maddox how to stop living like a ghost, but Mia and Preston have history, tension, and a lot of complicated feelings.
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I don't understand how it's happened. I was watching the bathroom door the whole time. My back can't have been turned for longer than ten seconds while I was getting our drinks.
But then, it only takes ten seconds.
'Fuck,' I mutter as I place the plastic cups of water on the bar, then scramble through my small shoulder bag to fish out my phone. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'
I hit the call button on Preston's contact, but it rings out. I try again, and again, and again. Maybe he's with the others; he might not have realised I'd moved to the edge of the bar, might not have been able to spot me and returned to the others as a result. I lift myself onto my tip toes to scan the crowds packed onto the dancefloor, my eyes landing on Margot's blue hair after ten seconds or so.
Margot, Joe, Dana, Robbie...
I keep listing names, keep scanning faces, but he's not there. Preston is nowhere near anyone.
'Fuck,' I mutter again.
I try calling him one more time, and when I have no luck, I send a message questioning his whereabouts. I abandon the cups of water and force myself through dancing bodies to reach my friends–and Robbie–on the dancefloor.
'Have you seen Preston?' I call into Margot's ear, and she turns to me, her brow furrowed.
She's shaking her head. Fuck. No.
Without another word, I go to turn around, but Margot grabs my arm.
'Is everything okay?' she asks.
I don't know, I want to say. I really don't know.
Instead, I reply with, 'yeah! Totally cool! He said he was going to check if you guys wanted anything from the bar before going to the bathroom, but he must've gone straight there!'
I don't even know why I'm lying, if it's me clinging onto the final shreds of my ability to protect Preston's privacy, or if it's just some shoddy attempt to kid myself into believing what I'm saying is true.
As I go to leave the dancefloor, there's a hand on my arm again. I turn around expecting Margot, but it's Robbie's blue eyes that I meet.
'Not now!' I yell, yanking my arm away.
I push through groups of people singing and dancing, but he follows me.
'Mia! Wait!'
'What?' I snap, turning to face him in the middle of the dancefloor.
'I saw him leave!'
'Preston? You saw him go towards the exit?'
Robbie's nodding, but before I can dart towards the door leading to the club's lobby, he's shouting over the music again.
'He's obviously gone home; it's no big deal! It's not gonna kill you to spend five minutes apart from each other!'
'You don't get it, do you? You've got no fucking clue.'
