Before, it felt like she was dead, but now that she really is, I can feel the difference. The empty place inside my chest has hollowed out even more, as if I’m just a thin shell.

“Of course I’m here,” I mumble, freeing myself from her embrace.

Linnea

A couple of lovebirds by the window, an elderly man right beside us, the barman himself…

Could one of them be my stalker? Would I recognize them if they were standing right in front of me?

“What’s up with you?” asks Lucas.

I look at him. “What do you mean?”

“You keep peering around, like you’re looking for someone.”

Linnea sees things that aren’t there.

If I tell him about my stalker now, Lucas might not take me seriously. When I think about it, it sounds kind of like a childish fantasy.

Who would want to stalk me?

Besides, I have no proof at all, just a shadow I saw darting away.

“I was just looking at the hotel,” I quickly lie. “The Riverside is so fancy.”

I have to let it go. This is pointless. What good will it do me to drive myself crazy?

“I was a bit disappointed there’s no champagne coming out of the bathroom faucets.”

I smile. “Yeah, that’s a bummer.”

“You’re smiling again,” Lucas says with a grin. “It suits you better.”

I clink my glass of soda against his. “To the Riverside, then?”

“To the Riverside.” Lucas takes a drink and then lowers his glass. “You want to go swimming tonight? Just you and me.”

I look at him in surprise. “Tonight?”

“We have to see that starry sky, don’t we?”

There’s no way I’d go back to that place alone, certainly not in the dark, but with Lucas around I’ll be safe. If I do have a stalker, he won’t do anything if Lucas is there.

“It’s a good plan, isn’t it? Then you’ll be rid of Fender for a while too.”

I almost choke on my soda.

“Hey, I’m not blind,” Lucas says with a smile. “You don’t like Fender.”

How does he know that? It’s obvious that Fender doesn’t like me, but the other way around? I push down the ice cube in my soda with my index finger and let it bob back up.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter.” Lucas gives me a nudge. “I know Fender can be insensitive.”

“Really?” I ask tentatively. This doesn’t feel safe at all. “But he’s your best friend.”

“Yeah, and?” Lucas takes another drink. “Even best friends want to kill each other sometimes, don’t they? I’m sure it’s the same with you and Kate.”