Page 9 of Beneath the Surface

I take a sip of my coffee, the heat scalding my tongue. “And we’re still strangers?”

She frowns. “Yes, Alex. We are.”

The name splits my chest and twists my heart, showing me just how right she is.

I nod, leaning in. “Well, what do I have to do tonotbe a stranger?”

Her eyes narrow. “Are you hitting on me?”

I grin, amusement swimming through my veins. “You’re cute as hell, but no, I’m not hitting on you.”

She purses her lips. “I don’t need a friend.”

“Everyone needs a friend.”

“And you think that person isyou?”

I shrug. “Why not?”

“Lily. Order’s up. Let’s go.” The gruff voice cuts into the moment, and she glances behind her, cringing before twisting back to face me. “Gotta go. Let me know if you get hungry.”

And with that, she bounces away, a lightness in her step and a grin on her face that hides the history of someone who ran from their family.

A history that I’m suddenly dying to know. And once my curiosity is sated,thenI’ll tell her brother and get the fuck out of Dodge.

5

Lily

Idon’t have many friends, unless you count Annabelle, a server who works with me at Dina’s Diner. But we’re more acquaintances than anything, and we honestly have nothing in common other than living in the same town, running away from everyone we know back home. Although her idea of running is thirty minutes outside of Phoenix where she’s from, and mine is disappearing for good and hoping they think I’m dead.

Other than her, I’m all alone. And even though growing up I surrounded myself with people and parties, I’ve come to appreciate the solitude. Besides, working my fingers to the bone just to put food on the table doesn’t leave a lot of room for things like going out and meeting people.

And I’m okay with that.

There’s not much you can say to convince me that friends are worth it in the end, anyway. So, when Alex decideshewants to be my friend, I’m taken aback. And I’m not going to let it happen. There’s no point. I don’t need friends, and he’s really nothing special, other than the fact he’s the first man in years who doesn’t make my skin crawl just by looking at me.

I’m not really sure what to do with that realization other than acknowledge it, and let it go. But he’s the first man that I’ve felt that way aboutever. Even when I was dating Darryl, it wasn’t because of his good looks or his charm.

I was groomed by him.

A naive fourteen-year-old girl who was desperate and stupid. And Darryl was a twenty-year-old drug dealer pedophile who knew he could drag me down and keep me in chains. My stomach rolls as I think back to how we met, and all of the years after.All of the years before.

I must wear my weakness like armor—my shield a magnet, drawing up evil that lurks within everyone who dares to get too close.

And it’s not just men. My childhood best friend’s greed and selfishness sprouted wings and took flight whenever I was around, too. I was just blind to it, fooled just like the rest of the town with her girl next door act.

But instead of being loyal to me, sheusedme to get to my brother. She pushed me out of the chambers of his heart, made him forget all the words he said to me growing up. Made him forget that he was my home. Until suddenly, he didn’t see me at all.

He only sawher.

So fuck having friends. Been there. Done that. Bought the getaway ticket. I have zero interest in uncovering Alex’s fatal traits.

It’s a few hours later when I’m refilling the sugar caddies, getting ready to be off my shift for the night, that I hear it.

Annabelle’s tinkling laughter coming from the corner booth.

My head snaps up, my chest pulling tight when I see her standing next to Alex with a hand on her hip and a beaming smile on her Maybelline-caked face.

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