Page 79 of Ordinary Secrets

I know my parents loved me—before they were murdered.

Victorused tolove me. Maybe he still does... in his own sick, twisted way. If he ever verbalized it now, I’d be certain he’s been replaced by a Shifter or a Mind Swapper.

I think I loved Elliott. Why else would I have taken his death so hard? I would have done anything to protect that child or to have saved him from the cancer.

Now that I think about it, I think I love Liz. I one hundred percent would put her happiness before mine, but I don’t think the way I feel about her is the same kind of love Arella’s talking about.

“How do you know the difference between regular love and romantic love? Like, I think I love Liz, but I don’t wanna makeout with her. At the same time, I’d do anything to make that woman happy.”

Arella purses her lips together in thought. “My grandpa says that he knew he loved my grandma when, one day, he looked at her and couldn’t picture the rest of his life without her.”

“Hmm. If that’s the case, then I might love Liz romantically. I can’t imagine my life without her. Who will be there to yell at me for making dumb decisions?”

Arella bursts into a light chuckle. “Maybe if you stop making dumb decisions, she won’t have to yell at you.”

“That’s impossible. I’m a man. It’s what we do.” I’m glad that Arella didn’t take my loving Liz romantically comment seriously. I only said it to be funny.

“You don’t have to beromanticallyin love with someone to want them around for the rest of your life. You can feel that way about Liz and still love her as a friend.”

“Good, ’cause that’s exactly how I feel about her.”

Between a few fingers, Arella plucks a blade of grass and plays with it. Without looking up at me, she asks, “Do you ever think that Liz is secretly in love with you? Like, as more than a friend?”

Confidently, I shake my head. “Never.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Trust me, baby. I, of all people, am sure.” I can sense the way Liz feels about me, and it’s never anything close to the way Marcus and Emmy feel about each other. Unfortunately, I can’t tell Arella that.

“Then how can you say that you don’t know what a deep relationship looks like, when it’s exactly what you have with Liz?”

Good point.“I guess I didn’t think about my relationship with Liz being that deep until now.”

“How did you guys build such a strong connection?”

I know exactly how. Liz brings it up all the time. She even knows the exact date and calls it our friendiversary. It was the day our hands first touched. The day we shared about our pasts.

Would sharing about my past with Arella get her to share everything about herself with me? Possibly, and I’m willing to do that...I think.Maybe I don’t have to share every little detail, but I could tell her that my parents didn’t actually die in a house fire.

An idea pops into my head, and suddenly, I’m ready to leave.

I toss our stuff back into my backpack. “Let’s go, babe. I need to show you something.”

23

TREY

It’s wellpast midnight when we finally arrive at my place. On my bed, Arella’s next to me wearing my hoodie—her hoodie now. Her new blanket is draped over her lap, keeping her legs warm. Between us, I have my most valuable possession: a shoebox-size wooden box.

“Please tell me there aren’t any human body parts in there,” Arella says.

I laugh a little. How does she know exactly what to say to ease the tension in my gut?

I’ve never shown this box to anyone before. My heart thrashes because I’m about to now. “Why would you think I’d keep body parts in a box?”

“I watch a lot of true crime shows with Javina. A big wooden box with a lock? Total grounds for a collection of eyeballs.”

I make anickface. “Gross, babe. No, I don’t have any eyeballs in here.”

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