Chapter 24

Suddenly, I felt nauseous.

“Aurora,” he called into the empty restroom, and I froze, going as still as I could manage in the hopes that he would go if I didn’t make any sudden moves.

The restroom was empty, and I would have to face him alone if it came down to us talking. The thought made me lightheaded with dread.

Elijah called my name out again, and when I didn’t reply he turned to leave, but holding myself still for so long proved harder than I’d anticipated, and as I adjusted to ease the strain on my quivering muscles my shoulder mistakenly hit the lever on the toilet, which resulted in an embarrassingly loud flush that made Elijah stop in his tracks.

A blanket of silence fell on the room when the flushing finished, and after a tense moment Elijah continued on as if nothing had happened, but just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief I heard him turn the lock before rounding back purposefully, until he stood in front of my stall.

“Come out, Aur