Page 34 of Deadly Secrets

Ander approached where I sat and held my hand with his, my cheeks turning pink.

“Ander…”

“Yeah?” He turned his face to look at me. Time stood still. He made me feel things. Things I didn’t want to say to him because I didn’t want to feel rejected. He was already popular with the girls in Rye, and I was just the twelve-year-old girl who once puked on his lap when he dared me to ride the roller coaster with him at a birthday party after eating a double cheeseburger and french fries. I didn’t know at what point he became more than a friend to me, but I wasn’t sure if he reciprocated my feelings.

He held my gaze for minutes, but I decided that if this was the last time I was going to see Ander, I would make it count. I closed the distance between us and kissed him. I wanted him to be my first kiss. To my surprise, he kissed me back.

We didn’t discuss that kiss on the way to the bus stop or what it meant. I just made him promise me again that he would write to me.

“You’ve promised,” I said as I stepped inside the bus. And the doors closed. That little girl didn’t know it was the last time she would see Ander’s smile.

I woke up drenched in sweat. It wasn’t the first time this had occurred. I’d experienced it before—a memory disguised as a bad dream. A memory of something that happened six years ago. The day Ander promised to write to me. But he never did.

I opened my eyes and saw Noah lying next to me on his side, a hand over my waist. He was still sleeping with a peaceful expression on his face. I stared at him for minutes, memorizing every freckle, the curve of his lips, his perfect nose, and eyelashes. He stayed with me last night, and we talked until 3 a.m. Noah was witty and sweet. He thought the flower and the note could be part of a hazing prank, which apparently is very common at Stanford, and I thought he might be right, but it scared me nonetheless. I hated pranks.

I turned around to pick up my phone from my bedside table to order breakfast, but Noah tightened his hold on my waist and drew me closer.

“Good morning, little princess. Where do you think you’re going?”

I giggled.

“I was going to order some breakfast, but we can go out if you prefer.”

“Nah, I’d rather have you for myself a bit longer before we go to class.” He was clearly a possessive guy, but I loved it. “You looked like you had a nightmare last night; you wouldn’t stop moving your legs.”

He’d noticed my distress.

“It wasn’t a nightmare, more like a memory replaying,” I clarified.

“What was it about?”

“It’s quite personal, and I don’t know you well enough to embarrass myself in front of you yet,” I responded, forcing a smile.

“I don’t care. You could wear the most ridiculous outfit or tell me the most absurd story, and I’d still think you are the most devastatingly beautiful and incredible girl on campus.”

“Only on campus? Rude,” I said mockingly.

We lingered in bed for another thirty minutes while waiting for Uber Eats to deliver our breakfast. We finished our almond croissants and coffee—an Americano for Noah and a pumpkin spice latte for me, of course—and headed out. He went to his side of campus, and I went to my Organic Chemistry I class. I slipped on my headphones and hit shuffle on my favorite playlist. “We Don’t Talk Anymore” came on, and the lyrics hit too close to home.

* * *

After carefully thinking and discussing it with Peter, I decided to take up Reed’s offer. Peter was right. This was an excellent opportunity to find out if I actually enjoyed research and also a great line in my curriculum.

I knocked on Reed’s door twice. Despite the office door being open, I didn’t cross the threshold until his voice from inside invited me to enter.

“Good morning, Miss Moore. I assume you’re here because you’ve reached a decision.”

“Yes,” I answered. “I’ve decided to accept your offer. It’s a great opportunity, and I’m honored that you’ve invited me to be part of your research team.”

“Great. You can meet the rest of the team this afternoon after your classes at 4 p.m. Ideally, I would like you to come every day for an hour, but I can be flexible if you have exams or other commitments. Just let me know in advance. I’ll tell you more this afternoon. The lab is in this building, room L-56,” he explained.

“I’ll see you later, then.”

Later that day, once all my classes were done, I headed toward the lab. I quickened my steps with anticipation, my heart pounding faster and faster with each stride.

One Christmas, my father bought me a microscope, some beakers, flasks, and a white lab coat. I loved playing the scientist with him. We would imagine that we were about to discover the cure for an extremely dangerous disease that was turning people into zombies. He would pretend to get infected and would chase me around the house, trying to bite me and infect me, too. Sometimes I played along and started chasing my mom around the kitchen. It was one of the best memories I had with him. He loved making me laugh, and as an only child, I really appreciated the time he gave me. My father was always extremely busy with work but always found time for me. Many of my friends at school had siblings, but I didn’t. The closest thing I had to a brother was Ander.

I entered lab L-56, and Reed greeted me.

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