Chapter 7

The coffee was too hot, but Lily sipped it anyway, just for something to hold on to. Anything to ground herself. She kept her eyes pinned to the table, but she could feel Alex's presence across the room — quiet, controlled, watching.

"You don't remember much, do you?" His voice cut through the silence, smooth and low, like he already knew the answer.

She shook her head, setting the cup down carefully before she spilled it. "Bits and pieces," she said, barely above a whisper. "The party... you helping me into the car. After that, it's... fuzzy."

Alex leaned against the counter, arms folded, his expression unreadable. He didn't look upset. Just... waiting.

"You asked me to stay," he said. "I wasn't about to leave you alone like that."

Lily twisted the hem of her sweatshirt between her fingers. "You could've... I don't know... called someone else," she mumbled.

Alex gave a short, almost amused huff. "Yeah? And who exactly would've come running?" He pushed off the counter and stepped closer, his voice dropping lower. "You trusted me last night, Lily. Even if you don't remember."

The way he said her name made her shiver.

"I didn't mean to," she said quickly, regretting the words as soon as they were out.

Alex's mouth curved, but there was no real humor there. "Maybe. But you did."

She looked up at him then, really looked. His hair was still messy from sleep, his sleeves pushed up, revealing strong forearms. He didn't seem bothered by the awkwardness — if anything, he seemed perfectly at ease in her space, like he belonged there.

It scared her a little. It scared her a lot.

"I... thanks," she muttered, feeling clumsy, feeling stupid.

He shrugged and turned back toward the kitchen, picking up a plate and setting it down in front of her. Pancakes. Toast. Scrambled eggs. He even somehow found the time to slice up strawberries.

"Eat something," he said, softer now. "You'll feel better."

Lily hesitated, fork hovering over the plate. She didn't trust herself around him — didn't trust the way her body seemed to hum with awareness just because he was standing there. But the truth was, she was starving.

She took a bite. Then another.

Alex watched her for a moment, then grabbed his own cup of coffee, leaning casually against the counter again.

"You were a handful last night," he said, a teasing glint in his eye. "You wouldn't stop talking."

She narrowed her eyes at him over her fork. "About what?"

He grinned — a real grin this time — and it was so rare on him that it almost knocked the air from her lungs.

"Everything," he said. "How much you hated the music at the party. How you thought everyone was fake. How you..." He paused, his grin turning into something softer, almost fond. "How you didn't want to be alone."

Heat flared in Lily's cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to her plate.

"Great," she muttered. "Sounds like I was a mess."

"You were," Alex agreed. "But... you were honest."

Before she could respond, there was a sudden, sharp knock at the door.

Both of them froze.

The fork slipped from Lily's hand and clattered against her plate. She looked at Alex, wide-eyed. "Were you expecting someone?"

His jaw tightened. "No."

Without another word, he strode to the door. Lily watched him peek through the peephole, his shoulders tense. He cracked the door open just an inch, enough to speak to whoever was on the other side.

Low voices. Too low for her to hear.

Alex's tone was clipped, hard. Whatever he said, it ended with him slamming the door shut and locking it — deadbolt, chain, everything.

He turned back to her, and for the first time, there was something dark in his eyes.

"Who was that?" Lily asked, standing up now, the old anxiety rising fast.

"Nobody you need to worry about," Alex said, but the way he ran a hand through his hair told her it wasn't that simple.

"Don't lie to me," she said, voice firmer than she felt.

Alex held her gaze, the tension between them crackling like static. For a moment, she thought he wasn't going to answer.

Then he sighed, long and slow.

"It's complicated," he said. "But you're right. You're already part of it."

Lily's stomach twisted. "Part of what?"

He didn't answer directly. Instead, he crossed the room, stopping a few feet away from her.

"I need you to trust me," he said quietly. "Get dressed. We'll go somewhere public. Neutral."

"Neutral?" she echoed.

"So you'll feel safe," he said, his mouth quirking into a dry, humorless half-smile.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. Every instinct screamed be careful. But the worst part was — she wanted to go with him. She wanted answers.

And maybe something more dangerous than answers.