Page 10 of You'll Never Know I'm Here

“Uh, now I’m realizing this place doesn’t even have streetlights,” Paulette whines.

“Gotta love staying in the middle of nowhere,” Logan groans, swatting away an insect as it flies near him. He wraps his coat farther around himself with a shiver.

“Yeah, not really. I mean, we all flew in, right? So why would a halfway point even matter? If anything, this feels more out of the way,” Memphis points out. “I’m just saying, my rideshare driver acted like I was the first person he’d ever had request a ride.Hewas askingmehow things worked.”

“Yeah, same,” I agree.

Memphis looks as shocked by the admission as I am. Shocked that I’m agreeing with him for any reason. I instantly turn away and direct my attention to Mara.

“It’s definitely not ideal. But I think Ethan said he got a good deal on this house. Plus, it’s historic and pretty, and there’s supposed to be really nice areas to take photos in.”

“Exactly,” she says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. Since she’s a bit shorter than I am—which is really saying something, as I’m usually the shortest person in the room—it’s not an easy thing to do, and she eventually lets it drop. “It’s perfect.”

The walk to the small downtown is much like my drive to the house, filled with mostly old, run-down houses that look ready to collapse at any moment. After another few minutes of walking, we reach the market Mara told us about and make our way inside the small store. It’s rustic in a way that’s clearly not done in order to be on trend. The floors are wooden and creaky, and the shelves all have handwritten price tags. The options they have are somewhat limited, but they’ll do for the night.

Each of us takes a basket, and we set to work grabbing snacks and easy items for breakfast. We’ve decided to split the cost of everything as equally as possible and switch up who’s going to be cooking which meal for the remainder of the trip. Mara and Logan have agreed to take the first dinner shift, and the meal they’re making is chili. Of course, with Mara, it can’t just be regular chili. It will be what she’s calling chili-cuterie. An entire board of options to go with the chili. I toss a jar of jalapeños into my basket, thinking about how much I cannot wait.

“Well, hello there.” A voice startles me from behind, and I turn around to find an older man and woman staring at me. He’s a few inches shorter than her and has a large bald patch atop his head. What little hair remains on his scalp is graying. His piercing blue eyes match hers almost entirely, though her hair has clearly been colored black and is held in place with what must be a massive amount of hairspray.

I smile at them awkwardly, thinking they must’ve mistaken me for someone else. “Um. Hi.”

“I don’t think we’ve seen you here before.” The woman is latched onto her husband, one arm around his shoulders, the other placed on his chest. Her blue eyes widen as she glances in my basket and then at my bag. I’m trying not to be weirded out, but they are both giving me the creeps.

“Oh. Well, you wouldn’t have. I’m… I’m just visiting.”

“That’s nice. Family in town, then?” the man asks.

“What’s your name, dear?” his wife interrupts him.

“It’s, um…” I swallow nervously. I’m probably being ridiculous, but something in me is saying I shouldn’t give them my name. I glance beside them, but there is no way to get out of this aisle. They’re blocking the exit, and behind me, there is only a wall. I scan the other aisles, seeing the familiar heads of my group members, but no one seems to have noticed our strange and uncomfortable interaction.

“She’s with me.”

I hear his loud voice from behind them seconds before he appears, his face unreadable, lips pressed into a thin line. Memphis squeezes past them and puts an arm around my shoulders, looking down at my basket. I resist the urge to shove him off of me out of pure shock.

“You found the crackers? Good, I’ve got everything else. You ready to go?”

I should say something now. Anything. Or shrug him off and demand he leave me alone, but I’m utterly speechless. Shocked by his actions and by his touch, which is all too comfortable, and I hate how aware of that I am.

“Um…” I manage to squeak out.

He looks up at the couple, searing them with his dark, impenetrable stare. “If you’ll excuse us.”

“Oh. Of course. Yes. It was nice to meet you both,” the man calls after us as Memphis ushers me past them.

“Enjoy your visit,” says the woman.

Memphis leads me down the aisle and toward the register before he takes his arm off of my shoulders without addressing what just happened or why he helped me. When we reach the counter, I unload my basket without a word.

“’Sup, guys?” Austin asks, appearing behind us without warning. His basket is loaded down with junk food, and he’s already eating from a bag of chips. “Find everything?” he asks with his mouth full.

“Yup,” Memphis answers for us both, setting his basket on the counter next to mine.

“Hey.” Mara touches my back, and I realize the whole group has now arrived at the counter. From across the room, I can still feel the strange couple’s eyes on me, though I don’t check to see if I’m right.

A middle-aged man appears behind the counter from a room in the back, smacking pink bubble gum between his teeth. “Oh, hello. Sorry about that.” He hurries his pace on his way to us. “Find everything okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” Mara says.

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