Page 270 of Faking the Goal

I glance over my shoulder, but the hallway is empty. There's no one standing near the office I just left, no movement behind any of the glass doors, and no shadow disappearing around the corner. Still, the uneasy feeling crawling up my spine doesn't go away.

I face forward and start walking faster.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. The last time I was alone in this building and felt like someone was following me, I ended up running through the stairwell in a panic and falling down the stairs. Maybe being here alone again is bringing all of that back. I tighten my grip around the strap of my camera bag and walk faster, trying to keep my breathing steady even as my heart pushes higher into my throat.

I glance back again, more quickly this time, but the corridor remains empty.

Still, I can't shake the feeling that someone is there.

I quicken my pace until I'm nearly jogging, my attention split between the hallway ahead and the empty stretch behind me. I look over my shoulder one more time, and when I turn back around, I slam directly into someone.

A scream tears out of me before I can even see who it is. I stumble backward, but firm hands close around my shoulders and keep me from falling.

"Trouble, it's me."

It takes my frightened brain several seconds to recognize the voice. Then I look up and find Kentaro's hazel eyes staring back at me, the warm brown around his pupils deepening into green at the edges like sunlight sinking through a forest canopy. There's something steady in them, something deep and still enough to drown all the panic crowding my chest, and the moment I realize it's him, the breath trapped in my lungs finally escapes.

"Thank God it's you." I press one hand against my chest, trying to calm the frantic pounding beneath my palm. "You scared the hell out of me."

His hands remain on my shoulders as his gaze searches my face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The answer comes too quickly and far too breathlessly to be convincing. "I just thought someone was following me, and then I turned around and walked straight into you, so apparently I'm doing great."

The attempt at humor does nothing to soften his expression. His eyes sharpen immediately, and before I can dismiss the whole thing as my overactive imagination, he looks past me toward the hallway.

One hand slides down to my arm while he looks past me, scanning the hallway and every open doorway behind me.

"Ken-chan," I say softly. "It was probably nothing."

His gaze remains fixed on the corridor for another moment before he looks back at me. Then his eyes drop to my hands, and only when his palms slide slowly down my arms do I realize I'm trembling. I hadn't noticed until now, but the shaking is impossible to hide beneath his touch.

His jaw tightens before his expression softens. "Let's go home."

I nod, suddenly too drained to argue.

Kentaro takes my hand and keeps me close as we walk toward the lobby, positioning himself between me and every open doorway we pass. His grip remains firm around mine, his thumb brushing over my knuckles, but the rest of him stays alert. His eyes sweep the hallway ahead, then briefly check behind us before returning forward, and even when we finally reach the brighter, more open lobby, he doesn't relax.

I don't know whether someone was actually following me or whether fear simply twisted an ordinary sound into something sinister, but Kentaro clearly isn't interested in taking the chance. He keeps me tucked against his side all the way toward the exit, and for once, I'm not stubborn enough to complain.

By the time we get back to the hockey house, the familiar sounds of button mashing, shouting, and Liam accusing someone of cheating greet us before we're even fully inside.

Some things never change.

The twins are exactly where they always are—parked in front of the living room TV with game controllers in hand, completely invested in whatever video game they've been arguing over for the last hour.

Luke's controller suddenly goes still.

His phone vibrates on the coffee table.

He glances at the screen, and an annoyingly smug grin spreads across his face.

"Oh, she finally posted."

Without another word, he tosses his controller onto the couch and grabs his phone.

"Seriously?" Liam pauses the game. "You're quitting in the middle of the third period because some girl uploaded another video?"

Luke doesn't even acknowledge him. Still staring at his screen like he's just witnessed the second coming, he starts heading upstairs.