Page 56 of Hide From Me

“She’s… Raylen. A friend,” I say, trying to keep my tone casual.

Sam’s head snaps in my direction, his gaze piercing through me like he’s counting the lies on my tongue.

“Moe—” Caspian tries again.

“You’ve got your Colonel voice on,” Sam mutters, finally speaking. “No work tonight, remember? You and your girl are supposed to be celebrating your almost-wedding or whatever this beach chaos is.”

If I weren’t trying to hold my shit together, I’d drop to my knees and kiss Sam’s boots for that. His comment buys me time and deflects Caspian’s suspicions, for now. It also reminds everyone that, technically, this is a double celebration.

Caspian and Sharkie’s surprise beachside sendoff into marriage.

Bachelor meets blackout.

Bachelorette meets breakdown.

It's a win-win.

Caspian lets out a heavy sigh as Cordelia leans against his side, resting her masked mouth against his shoulder.

“Who is she?” he asks again, softer this time.

“A close friend from another faction. I promised her a night without rules, just something normal. No work talk, remember?”

“Moe?”

My shoulders tense at the sweet, innocent voice, and it only worsens as her gentle touch sears through my wrist.

“Sunshine!” I exclaim, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

“Cordelia, Caspian, Sam, Jasmine.” I rapidly fire off names as I point to each person, trying to get this exchange done as quickly as possible before someone says something that could ruin everything.

“I know I—”

I clear my throat, cutting Raylen off. “Where did Laura go?”

“To get drinks,” Raylen says, narrowing her eyes at me as she pinches my side. Her nails bite through my shirt.I deserve that.“I just wanted to make sure you didn’t bring me here to ditch me.”

“You know Laura?” Cordelia perks up, clearly excited to finally find something in common.

Raylen nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, I’ve known her for a while.”

That familiar tightness settles in my chest again. Why do I always surround myself with people who deserve good things in their lives, yet they can be taken away at any moment?

I open my mouth to protest, but Jasmine has already looped her arm through Raylen's, dragging her toward the fire while Sharkie belts out “She Loves the Rain” by Teddy Swims in the background. I need a damn cigarette, and this time I don't care if Caspian sees me. Maybe he can focus on the stick I pull from the pack in my pocket and slip between my lips instead of the demons threatening to jump out of my closet.

The lighter flares in my hand, and as the tip glows, I inhale like it’s oxygen.

To my surprise, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he takes my lighter, pulls out a cigar, and plops down in the sand.

“Don’t worry,” he mutters. “Sharkie won’t bite her.”

Sam covers his masked mouth to suppress a laugh. “Are we placing bets?”

“Jasmine will interrogate her and memorize every detail if that's the case. I bet she pulls out a notepad in less than two minutes,” Caspian mutters. Sam's shoulders stiffen at the comment, but he finally lets out a genuine laugh. Can’t they see that I’m on the verge of a mental breakdown? I can’t tear my eyes away as they all swing and sway together, with Raylen looking more tense than the other two.

“It’s not them I'm worried about.” My tone may be light, but my whole body buzzes with the urge to pull her away. She always asks so many questions that it wouldn’t surprise me if she ended up being the one doing the interrogating. I already have to adjust my behavior daily to match whatever personality Raylen likes that day. Having her search for a side of me that is long gone would ruin everything.

I hiss as the ember burns my fingers, forcing me to look down at the cigarette I’ve unintentionally inhaled to the filter.

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