I couldn’t believe Sean told me to stay away from him. It felt so melodramatic and unnecessary, but at the same time, there were things going on that were clearly out of his control. I had convinced myself that creating distance between the two of us was Sean’s way of keeping me safe.

I spent most of my time in the food court these days. It was the only place on the main floor of the mall where I didn’t have a view of the octagonal walls that protected the massive purple tent. 

Speaking of, I had started noticing mall goers who dressed head to toe in purple. At first I thought it was a coincidence, but now there were so many of them. It’s like they all got together to coordinate their outfits.

Once again, I found myself eating lunch in the food court with Bobby.

“Is it just me, or has it been busy in here lately?”

He must have known what I was referring to because he said, “Oh. You mean the purple guys? Yeah, they’re kinda weird.”

I eyed his Grape Grill uniform pointedly and said, “You know you’re technically a ‘purple guy’.”

Bobby lifted a finger and an eyebrow at the same time. “Not by choice.” Then he got serious and said, “Speaking of weird groups, did you notice that other one that hangs out in the parking lot sometimes?”

When I shook my head, he proceeded to explain, “They’re Sean-haters. Like, they legitimately want to see his downfall.” 

“Now that you mention it, I have noticed some people hanging out in little clusters outside of one of the department stores. But it doesn’t look like they’re doing anything wrong.”

Bobby grimaced. “I thought so too. But one time I passed by them and heard them talking. It’s like those storekeepers that wanted to get Sean fired, but worse. These people want Sean prosecuted. One guy even mentioned the electric chair. They give me angry mob vibes.”

Even though Sean and I weren’t talking anymore, I felt scared for him. I looked down at my burger. 

“They still think he murdered that poor man. Even though he was released.”

Bobby could probably tell that I was having a moment because he didn’t say anything for a while. Instead, he chose to fill the silence by slurping down some grape juice through the straw. After a while, he finally spoke.

“It’s weird how death kind of acts like a magnet. I think that’s why those purple dudes are hanging around here too. They were drawn in by the big tent.”

Which is here because of a death caused by paranormal forces… 

I looked up at the high ceiling where large sails hang like an ocean made from waves of fabric. Without thinking about it first, I asked Bobby, “Do you think the mall has a mind of its own?”

“Hey, isn’t your fashion show around the corner?”

I looked down from the ceiling and back at Bobby, but he seemed distracted by the huge clock on the far wall. Did he just dodge my question?

Deciding to let it go, I said, “We’ve got two days. Today is the final dress rehearsal. All of the other designers and their models will be here.”

Bobby started gathering old napkins onto his food tray, but he shot me a look of concern. “You don’t seem all that excited about this dress rehearsal.”

Now it was my turn to dodge. “I’ll be fine.”

We cleaned up our stuff and said goodbye to each other. Bobby obviously had to get back to work, but I still had a little time before the dress rehearsal started. I wanted to spend it somewhere far from that creepy purple tent and the pockets of the mall that experienced the most traffic. 

I ended up finding a bench in one of my favorite little alcoves. It was underneath a set of escalators and walled off by raised troughs filled with orange and purple bromeliads. 

I waited there, daydreaming about the cell phone that I didn’t have and probably wouldn’t get until my little brother graduated college.

This got pretty boring, but at least it was quiet here. 

Well, it didn’t stay that way for long. When I started hearing footsteps, I turned my head a little to see if anyone was walking in my direction.

I spun back around the moment I recognized Sean. The last thing I needed was him thinking that I was pining after him. The fact that I definitely had was a secret I would take to my grave.

“Aqua, please.” Sean came around the bench and sat down beside me. “Act natural.”

Of course I did the opposite and tensed up. Sean casually draped his arm over the back of the bench and got very comfortable beside me. 

By this time I realized that there were a handful of people who had been following Sean. They were coming closer. Out of my periphery, I could see the matchy-matchy purple shades in their clothes. 

So the mob outside wasn’t the only group interested in Sean. Weird.

Despite Sean’s body language, there was nothing but stress and panic in his murky green eyes. Acting on instinct now, I wiped the surprise off my face and fell into character.

“Hey babe, what took you so long?”

Fine. I’ll help you out this one time, I thought, resting a hand on his chest. 

It seemed that the purple followers were hesitating, but they wouldn’t leave. Why were they so desperate to talk to him? I didn’t know how to make them go away, but clearly Sean had other ideas.

“I’m sorry. Can I…” his tone had turned husky and calm, “make it up to you?”

Crap. I knew where this was going. Sean’s arm slid down the rim of the bench and settled around my shoulders. He started drawing me in. If I pulled back now, it would blow his whole cover. 

So I leaned into the kiss, my fingers curling into the fabric of his black shirt. Having kissed each other before, we already knew how to make this look real. 

The problem was, I wasn’t really trying. As soon as our lips connected, my mind went blank. The memory of Sean telling me to stay away from him was a thing of the past. 

“I think they’re gone now.”

My eyes were still closed and my mouth was still doing… God knows what when Sean took my head between his hands and broke the kiss off. 

I blinked rapidly before pulling away. I couldn’t look Sean in the eyes, I was so embarrassed. 

Then, without a word, he got up and started walking off. 

What?

I glared at the back of his head. No thank you? Not even an awkward apology? 

I wanted to shout at him, Why were those people following you? But I knew better. Sean wasn’t going to say. He would keep me in the half-dark like always. The further he got from me, the more my blood boiled. 

Had I just been used? 

I didn’t want to answer that question because I had agreed to help him. I went along with it and pretended like we were a couple before he even went in for the kiss. And let’s not even get started on the fact that I liked it. No way. Wasn’t going to admit that.

My pager went nuts all of a sudden. I was so caught off guard that I jumped and nearly dropped the damn thing.

| W h e r e _ a r e _ y o u ? |

Shit. It was Elliot.

Cursing under my breath, I scrambled to my feet and ran as fast as I could to the boutique.