Chapter 66: Don’t You Forget About Me
A chill ran through Merlina. Like...Oh Shit!
Not now.
She gave a small shake of her head, subtle but firm. Her eyes begged him to understand that this wasn’t the time.
But before Craig could fully register what she was trying to signal, Louis’s head peeked out from behind the bus at the sound of his voice. The moment he realized who it was, Louis stepped out fully. Head tilted, his gaze sweeping from Merlina to Craig, sharp and searching.
"What’s going on?" he asked, voice calm but steady.
Craig turned slowly, locking eyes with Louis. Then, without a word, he looked at Merlina. And then back at Louis.
Louis’s gaze flicked to Merlina too—brief but loaded—before returning to Craig.
The air around them thickened. No one said anything. Just shifting eyes, glances bouncing back and forth like some unspoken code was trying and failing to crack itself.
Merlina blinked, scrambling for something—anything—that wouldn’t blow up in her face.
Craig wasn’t saying a word, and she could feel his unwillingness to engage rising like a wall beside her. He was making it obvious he didn’t owe Louis an explanation, but she did.
Her pulse skittering. Words tangled at the tip of her tongue—truths she couldn’t afford to say.