Page 2 of Hide From Me

I take a drink of the water, trying to combat the sudden dryness of my mouth.

“Hear that, Moe? You get to name our new task force,” Cordelia chimes in, breaking me from the mesmerizing sight. I reluctantly set down my glass, fighting back an annoyed groan. She’s referring to the changes that will occur following our latest conflict. The war between land and sea finally ended today with the whole family fiasco.

You see, Cordelia was our enemy just yesterday. She had been sent onto our territory weeks ago by another faction called Bay with the intention of destroying us, Depth. However, my brother took her captive. One thing led toanother, and they ultimately decided to fight together to bring an end to the war.

Don't ask me how that happened. I don't know, and I'm not about to spend time studying case files to figure it out. All I know is it's in my genetics to fuck things up, considering it was my grandfather who led the last war and my mother who started the one before that. Now that it's done, Caspian and Sharkie want to combine our militaries into one, which is a logical move; it's just exhausting.

I keep my expression neutral as the disgustingly cute couple have a stare-down like they can't decide if they want to kill or fuck each other. Despite the bile rising in my throat from the sight, I’m happy for my brother. After everything we’ve endured, he deserves some calm amidst the chaos. We may not be blood, but we lost and grieved the same parents. He stepped up too soon to fill our father's shoes in our baseandmy life. I couldn’t care less about the little task I've been given–anyone can name a team–but seeing that smile on his ugly face makes a genuine one of my own form.

“Best birthday gift ever.”

I wish I could give more genuine ones to the people who deserve them, but the world is a shitty place, and quite frankly, I'm a selfish, greedy person who doesn’t want to share the little bit of happiness I have left in me. Silence grows at the table, and my eyes lock onto Caspian, who stares back like he just saw a ghost.

“Your orders?”

I swear, my knees shake at how incredibly sweet that voice sounds. I want to glance at the waitress again to see if I've finally captured her attention, but of course, I can't tear my focus away from my brother. I refuse to let him have a heart attack right now and ruin my pickup lines.

Cordelia begins naming the most random items from the menu. Once I make sure that Caspian is going to keep breathing, I can't help but chime in. I occasionally find myself glancing at the woman and grinning wider each time her pen hesitates on the pad in her hand, trying to keep up.

“I’m so sorry, Moe. I—” Caspian starts as the lady quickly rushes off again, his mouth opening and closing as he struggles to find the right words.

“Oh, shut it, it's okay. I'm going to choose the most badass name.” I huff, trying to change the subject. He nods, but it’s not convincing that he’ll actually let himself calm down. I really don’t care that he forgot; seriously, who could remember after the day we’ve had? He’s too hard on himself, and I wish I could make it easier for him, but every time I try, I think I only make it worse.

Rain splatters against the window pane next to our booth, the darkness intensifying as clouds cover the moon, giving no sense of time and making it easier to get lost in thoughts of all the ways I can try to make up for my earlier thoughts about shooting, even if he doesn’t realize that was my thought process.

I don’t know why my finger flexed on that trigger or why all I could think about was how he took the woman who was supposed to love me most from this world. He did what he had to do. He protected us and kept us all safe. My jaw clenches along with my fist under the table.

HetookalifethatIwantedtotakeformyself.

Fuck.No. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I'm not like them.

“Here…” That amazing voice comes again, so I look at the pretty girl placing plates around the booth. I swear, Caspian and Cordelia are saying something, but I can’t look away because for the first time since those thoughts started coming, I feel like I can take a proper breath.

“Thank you.” I smile genuinely, hoping for a proper response this time. Her nose scrunches again as she nervously reaches for her collar, drawing my attention to the crooked nameplate against her chest.

“Raylen,” I mutter, tasting her name on my tongue, and fuck does it taste better than chocolate chip pancakes.

“You're welcome—” She pauses, letting go of the collar to wiggle her finger, trying to pull my focus up. I’m sure she thinks I’m staring at her chest, which is undeniably very nice, but that’s not it. It’s the small bit of purple at the baseof her neck fading into blue, almost like a bruise. My focus shifts to the exposed length of her arms, only to find more minor marks scattered over them.

I don’t know where the urge to interrogate her comes from, but it’s there. However, that desire quickly fades, and my mind goes blank as my gaze shifts and locks onto hers. Raylen raises an eyebrow, a smirk forming at the corner of her mouth, revealing the white of her teeth.

It’s like looking at sunshine; her smile is so bright.

Fuck, that's it.

She’s gorgeous, like storm clouds that split to let a ray of light peak through and illuminate the destruction it caused.

“Moe,” I reply with a nod of my head.

Just as quickly as that bright, beaming face appeared, it vanished, replaced by hard-furrowed brows and a tight jaw.

“Monster.”

I jerk my head back in surprise at her one-word response. I had expected something like,“Nicetomeetyou,”or maybe she would ask for my number—any form of everyday small talk that would allow me to learn more about her, charm her, and test out that double life most people on base adopt when they want something fresh from the outside.

“You’re a monster.” Raylen specifies as she gestures toward my glass sitting on the table, cutting off my thoughts. Condensation forms on the spot, creating a ring similar to the one she was wiping earlier.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” There’s no fighting back the laugh that erupts from my chest as I fix the setting. Looking at her from the corner of my eye, I give one of my boyish grins, hoping to get another smile from her. I can draw one from anyone, but it's almost like she purposely keeps hers hidden. Good thing I'm always down for a challenge; it makes the reward all the sweeter.

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