I Have an Invisible Stalker (Guardians #1)

Chapter 18

Olivia's POV

"What?" I stare at Samuel, who is standing a step away from me.

We're still at the edge of the small park near the intersection from my accident and beside the bench where the boy, who refuses to give me his name, is lying sprawled over it.

"I didn't say anything." The boy opens one of his eyes and peeks up at me.

"Who's he?" Samuel takes a step closer to the boy, but I move before he can.

"Don't forget to visit the café," I say to the boy and then turn away from the bench.

Without stopping, I walk past Samuel, but I don't make it for more than five steps before my ankle begins to ache. Because I don't have the crutches with me any longer, I settle for putting most of my weight onto my right foot and only drag the left one behind.

"I told you not to strain your foot." Samuel signs and then widens his step to reach my side.

To my surprise, he doesn't just match my pace. He grabs my left arm, slings it over his shoulders, and wraps his right arm around my back. Luckily, I'm carrying the rest of the flyers in my right hand, otherwise, they would be scattered all around us right now—just like when I first met the old woman.

"What are you doing?" Despite my surprise, I don't hesitate to lean my weight onto him.

"I should ask you that. Who was that boy?"

"I have no idea." I shrug and point with the hand holding the flyers in the direction of the café. "This way."

"What are those?" Samuel nods at the flyers.

"I'm helping out an old woman by giving these flyers out to anyone I come across."

"I told you not to come back here."

"Of course, I came back. I wanted to see if I'd be able to remember anything about the accident now that I already know who the driver is."

For a second Samuel doesn't say anything, but then he quietly asks, "Did you remember anything?"

"No." My shoulders slump in defeat just as we reach the main road.

Because we stop at the edge of the road where there is no crosswalk, I'm about to steer us in the direction of the nearest one. Samuel, however, tightens his hold on me and prevents me from moving a single step away from him.

"You can't keep avoiding this."

Without as much as a second to spare, he pulls me onto the road. My heart thunders inside my chest with each step we take and my lungs squeeze tighter and tighter until I feel like I'm going to pass out. Yet Samuel continues forward, never glancing at me.

We reach the other side of the road without a single mishap, but the moment we step onto the sidewalk my legs give in. The weight of my entire body crashes onto Samuel, who stumbles to the side. For a moment I'm sure we're both going to tumble to the ground, but then Samuel catches his balance.

"Whoa. You okay?"

"Give me a moment." I close my eyes and force my chest to keep contracting. In and out.

I'm not even halfway calm when Samuel hisses under his breath and moves again. He drags me across the sidewalk and into the side alley beside the café.

"What are you doing?" My legs are finally sturdy again, so I pull my arm off his shoulders and take a step away from him.

"Too many humans." Samuel rests his hands on his thighs and takes in a deep breath. "You looked too unnatural with your arm over my shoulders.... Damn, I'm not used to carrying anything heavy."