Xander is too big to hide, literally and figuratively, especially in the town where people are on each other's business. Inviting him to my apartment is too risky. How people know who shows up and leaves my place is still a mystery. I almost believe someone actually lives inside the wall. So, picking Bill's bar makes more sense. If you want to be invisible, stay in the crowd.

The bar is busy since it's a pool game night, where anyone who wins a match gets a free drink; the perfect harbor for those who are broke from spending too much on Christmas and New Year. Sitting with Xander among them would look innocent, and I'm Perry Scott, after all. It's highly unlikely that people would have an ill perception of Perry.

I have no idea how Xander managed to get himself to Bill's bar this late - I even doubted he would turn up, but when his tall figure comes into view by the entrance door, I know he's still the same Xander. Determined and reliable.

"Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Hunt," I greet him when he walks toward the bar, ignoring the twist in my gut.

He looks so damn hot in his black sweater and slacks, his presence oozing authority and danger. Despite all kinds of visitors having been in Bill's bar, he still appears out of place. Damn him. He makes it so hard for my mind not to get distracted by his sexual magnetism. The entire evening has been fucking hard to tame my wild urges.

Xander seems surprised by my friendly and distant tone, but he soon changes his expression and smiles. "Ms. Scott. It's good to see a familiar face!"

"Shouldn't you be in your warm bed and rest after a long trip to Northern Pearls, sir?"

He shrugs. "I guess I'm just too awake to sleep. Maybe a beer or two would help."

"You're not satisfied with the beer provided by the resort?" I ask, faking a concern. "I shall take a note."

"It's sufficient, but since everyone else has resigned to their room, what's the point of drinking alone in my room like a lunatic?"

"Very true. I hope going down here didn't take so much trouble?"

"Not at all. I could use a little walk to ease my restlessness."

"Oh. Wow," I mumble, genuinely surprised that he chose to walk to get to Bill's bar.

"You took the shortcut, I hope?" Bill, who has been eyeing our interaction, asks. "The small path on the left after you exit the resort's main gate."

"No. I took the normal route. I didn't know the path existed."

"I must say it can be challenging in this kind of weather, but it's perfectly safe," Bill says as he grabs a pint of beer for Xander. Flashing a friendly smile at our new guest, he then places the glass on the bar counter. "Welcome to Northern Pearls."

"Thank you." Xander turns to me, pointing at the bar stool next to mine. "Can I take this seat? Or are you waiting for someone?"

"I'm not waiting for anyone. The seat is free," I say, stirring my cocktail with the metal straw. "Just like you, I'm too anxious to sleep and don't want to drink alone at home."

It doesn't help that Bill set the bar stools too close to each other, because Xander's familiar scent hits my nostrils at once when he plops beside me, forcing my mind to travel to dangerous places. But at least Bill is now focusing on the pool match again; it seems to be a tough one. Otherwise, he would catch my uneasiness, even though I've been nervous since I entered the bar. Bill thought it was because of the bus accident, and I didn't correct him.

Xander sweeps the bar interior with his eyes. "Such a cozy place to hang out. Bill is the guy who just talked to me, right?"

"Yep. It's a family business. His granddad, who was also called Bill, had opened this bar before the resort existed. Mr. Darcy has been trying to provide a cozy bar corner for the guests, like this one, but it barely attracts our guests. They prefer to come here for a drink."

"There's a bar corner? All I could see was a dead counter by the restaurant. I thought they only made drinks to deliver to the rooms."

I laugh at his frankness. "It's dead, yeah. But what can I say? Bill's bar is an icon here. And I hope it stays this way."

Xander picks up his glass and takes a swig, but his eyes are boring into me. I hate it when he does that, especially when I can't move onto his lap, grind on his crotch, and kiss him senseless like I usually did in the past when he teased me with his sensual glare.

"You guys seem pretty close," he says, glancing at Bill.

"Correct. Bill is one of those peeps who helped me settle in this town."

"About three years ago, I suppose?"

I know what he's doing. He's trying to arrange the puzzle pieces of my disappearance. "Yeah."

"So, Ms. Scott, what did you do before you joined the resort?" he asks louder this time, as if to give the impression we're not having a private conversation.

"I used to work in retail, but it didn't go well. And my family's circumstances forced me to leave my city and start somewhere new. And I'm glad I ended here."

"Oh, that sounds tough. You're such a brave girl."

I would have thought it was a compliment if I didn't know Xander. But I can hear the mocking tone in his voice because, to him, running away from problems means cowardliness. I chew my inner cheek to hold my tongue from spewing a snarky reply at his face. I'm Perry Scott. I'm not Parker Hayes.

"Thank you. One must do what must be done."

Xander takes another swig. "And your family is well, I hope?"

"The lady doesn't appreciate the talk about her personal life," Bill chips in. "That's the reason she builds a new life here, and I hope that information is enough for you, sir."

"Thank you, Bill," I say, smiling earnestly at him. "But I don't think Mr. Hunt is trying to make me uncomfortable. He's a good acquaintance of Patricia Darcy and volunteered to pick up the bus passengers a few hours ago. So, he's not a stranger."

Bill raises a brow. "So, you're Trisha's boyfriend."

The corner of Xander's lips twitches. "I guess that's what people call me here. I'm the boyfriend, then. Yeah."

After quickly drying his hands with a bar towel, Bill holds out his hand. "Billy Sambourne. Trisha's dad and I are good friends."

Xander shakes his hand. "Alexander Hunt. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sambourne."

"Please. Just Bill-"

"Bill! A phone call for you!" shouts Brenda, his senior staff from the other side of the bar.

"Got to go. Enjoy your stay and be good to that lady." Bill points at me before walking away.

"Yes, sir." Xander takes a few more gulps of his beer. "He seems to be protective of you."

"Bill is a very good friend. He's more like a father to me," I say, smiling bitterly. "A father I'd never have."

"Park...Ms. Scott." He clears his throat. "I'm sorry about that."

"You know we're past that, Xander," I say, making sure no one is within our hearing distance. The music is loud enough, and everyone's attention is drawn to the match. I turn around and watch the pool table as I lean back against the bar counter. Looking at Xander's face too long is too distracting. "You're here to find out why Parker disappeared, right? So, long story short, she did it to protect herself."

He tilts his head. "My recollection of the event serves me differently. Her dad took her back once she ditched her boyfriend and gave back her access to her funds because she was tired of the not-enough-extravagant life. How did her life become in danger?"

I know he must be having a hard time putting two and two together since I leave a huge chunk of a plot twist in the story, but he can't know the entire reason. Only one family deserves to be ruined by my mad father. "Mr. Hayes didn't know when to stop. After she wasn't under her boyfriend's protection, her dad possessed all the liberty of controlling her career and social connections, well, basically her life without her consent."

"She was aware of that when she wanted to crawl back to her father's wing," he retorts, bitterness thick in his deep voice. "Yet she did it."

I reply with a deep sigh because he's right. "Let's say she was a simpleton and still had a lot to learn. Things got ugly when she found her mom in her dad's bed with him and his other male friends. It was sick, twisted, and just...sick."

"Fuck. Did she... Did he...?"

I shake my head. "No. I don't know. She said she consented to it, but I hardly believed it."

"How? Why?" He rubs his face.

"It was one of his malicious games to show how much control he had over us. To humiliate us. He was even starting to talk about my marriage arrangement for a business purpose." I turn around to down the rest of my drink and pull a few banknotes from my pocket. "Drink up. Let's get out of here. I need to move while telling you the rest."

He does what he's told as I go to Bill to bid him goodnight. "I walk with Mr. Hunt to show him the path, since it's right in front of my apartment."

"Okay," he says. "I'll bring you to the tarmac in the morning."

"Alright. See you tomorrow, Bill."

Xander waves at Bill before following me to the door and grabbing our jackets and winter scarves by the coat rack. As soon as I feel the icy breeze brush my face as we walk down the pavement, the prickling sensation on my skin diverts my attention from my intense agitation.

"If you told me this, I would have stayed and helped you despite our situation," he says after a minute of silence between us. "And you knew it damn well that I would."

"Then he would be ecstatic to regain your attention. He's a vicious and vengeful man. He won't forget those who have betrayed him, including you. I'm sure he's still waiting for the moment when you come face-to-face with him.

"So, long story short, Mom's mental health went from bad to worse and I called her old shrink. She was then admitted to a facility to get help when Dad was on a trip abroad, and I took the chance to flee." I retract the gloves from my jacket's pocket and put them on. I rarely wear them for a short walk, but I feel ten times colder tonight. "It happened so fast. I think you were still in town during that time."

"I was. I was still waiting for you to get back to me and finalize the handover of the property we've...you've bought, but you just disappeared into thin air."

"I know. I'm sorry." I sigh. "Do you still keep it or release it to other buyers?"

"I have it under my name."

"Oh, wow. So now you live in two houses that are next to each other?"

"I don't live there." He glances down at me. "Blair has been taking care of it."

My chest tightens at the mention of his sister, prompting my mind to travel to our last talk. The talk I prefer to forget. "How is she?"

"She's doing well. She broke up with Flitz, thank goodness, and now is very much into arts."

"Does she still paint?"

"Not intensively, but she managed to get a few of her works showcased in her campus exhibition last year. And now she's more interested in the exhibition business than being the artist itself."

"I see. I'm glad that she seems to be going in the right direction."

"I'm a proud brother, yes." He sighs. "She's been looking for you, too."

I flinch inwardly, wondering what would happen if she found out her ex was the person who helped me escape when they were still together. "I hope you're not going to tell her about your latest discovery. At least not until I'm ready."

"Ready for what? Fleeing again?"

"I've thought about it," I say truthfully, "but then I realized there was no point for now."

"So, we're like besties now? Keeping each other's secret?"

"Just consider this as a little favor for an old friend." We reach the intersection where the sign to the path stands. I point at it for him to read.

He turns to examine the path and shifts his gaze to the blinking lights of Northern Pearls Resort on the dark hill right behind the town center. It's only a fifteen-minute walk if he moves steadily and fast.

"Old friends, huh?" he says after he's done checking the path. "Friends don't disappear on each other."

"You can't blame me for thinking of my own safety."

"In other words, you don't trust me enough."

I sigh and drop my head. "I didn't tell Sarah and Brits, either."

"Now I'm greatly disappointed that you put me in the same box with them back then."

"Xander." I groan. "You know how fucked up the situation was, and I had to take a drastic decision for it. It wasn't just for me, it was for you, too."

"I call it bullshit!" he replies. "You were just giving up, Parker. You didn't have faith in us."

My sight turns blurry at the sharpness of his words, but maybe because it hits the bull's-eye. But how much faith could I have when the entire world was against me? Including the people who Xander loved so dearly?

"I suppose you're right," I mumble in defeat.

The silence that follows is deafening. I can almost hear the air crackle as it freezes up and creates a wall between us.

"Very well," he says finally. "I guess that's it, then. I've got my answer tonight. Have a safe flight for tomorrow, Ms. Scott." He nods and starts walking away, but after a few meters, he turns around and walks backward. "And as an old friend, I won't tell a soul about your whereabouts, so you don't need to keep running. I will be gone from your hair when you're back, after all."

"Thank you," I say before turning on my heels and striding to my apartment. He can't see me crying.