Chapter 31

     Chapter 31

    Gavin Hawkins’ POV

    By the time I got back home, the sun was high in the sky, its heat prickling the back of my neck as I parked my bike in the driveway. Hunter’s words kept circling in my head: “Sleep with her and get it over with.”

    As if it were that simple.

    I knew better than to take his advice seriously.

    I stepped inside, letting the cool air of the kitchen wash over me. Iris was at the counter, slicing fruit with precision. She glanced up when I entered, her sharp gaze catching me mid-step.

    “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

    I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her about the dream. No—bad idea. The last thing I needed was her teasing me about Lyric.

    “Just tired,” I said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

    Iris raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Tired, huh? You’ve been acting weird lately. Does it have anything to do with the new girl you’ve been hanging out with?”

    “What are you talking about?” I deflected, twisting off the bottle cap. “You mean Keira? She’s my math tutor, remember?”

    Iris smirked, leaning on the counter. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re not as subtle as you think, Gavin.”

    I took a long sip of water, stalling. “She’s just... interesting.”

    “Interesting?” Iris echoed, her tone skeptical. “You’ve never called anyone interesting before. Are you into her?”

    “No,” I said too quickly.

    Iris narrowed her eyes. “You’re a terrible liar.”

    “You don’t just find her interesting? Or hot? Sex on two long legs,” she teased relentlessly. Noticing my serious expression, Iris laughed. “No worries, even I would want to sleep with her.”

    “I am not sleeping with my tutor.”

    “Yet,” she corrected, adding a wink.

    What was it with this girl?

    I couldn’t help but shake my head, chuckling. “I won’t mess it up. This is for the team and my future.”

    “Uh-huh.” Iris kicked her legs in excitement, a boisterous laugh escaping her. It was nice seeing my best friend like this—not the sad, depressing Iris. Instead, the fun-loving and funny best friend I remembered.

    “How long will it take for you to lose interest in this one?”

    Before I could respond, my phone buzzed on the counter. I picked it up, relieved for the distraction. It was a text from Keira.

    Keira: Hey, what are you doing for New Year’s?

    I stared at the message, my mind flipping through all the ways this could go wrong. Keira had made it clear she wanted more from me, but I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Not when my thoughts kept drifting back to Lyric.

    Me: Not sure yet. Why?

    Her reply came almost instantly.

    Keira: My parents are throwing a party. Come with me?

    I hesitated, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. Keira was a safe choice—predictable. But that was the problem. She wasn’t Lyric.

    “Who’s texting you?” Iris asked, craning her neck to see my screen.

    I pulled my phone closer. “None of your business.”

    “I know it isn’t. You’ll get bored of her soon anyway.” Iris shrugged nonchalantly. She hopped off the counter and headed toward the living room.

    It made me think. What if Lyric was only a prolonged, temporary obsession?

    ---

    LYRIC SPENCER’S POV

    The week flew by in the blink of an eye.

    Next week was the festive season—Christmas. The day was two days away, yet I knew this was going to be my worst Christmas ever.

    Uncle still hadn’t returned. We even lodged a complaint with the police, but they said they were trying their best.

    Aunt Stephanie drank herself into a stupor, convinced he’d been killed and his body tossed somewhere. She was only waiting for it to be found.

    I blamed every true crime documentary she’d ever watched with me.

    What I thought? He was still hiding, especially now that Allesio had woken up from his coma. It was still a shock that he hadn’t approached me yet. I heard he was still recovering but could manage the basics like eating, breathing, and walking.

    I also heard he’d lost both mandibular incisors and two third molars.

    ---

    The next day, I went festive-season shopping with my aunt. My job had paid me enough to get everyone a $15 gift for the season.

    We were going to cook lasagna for the day—the kind with fancy meat—and the kids, alongside their mother, would head to another town to visit their grandparents.

    That meant I’d be the only one at home, which was why I’d be spending it with the Evergreens.

    ---

    The day before Christmas, Wren picked me up, and we went to the mall. Hunter had invited the both of us to dinner.

    Actually, he’d only invited Wren, but my best friend had insisted on bringing me along.

    Wren and Minsoo (Shawn Hunter) were getting along well. She told him about the three of us being childhood friends, and he apologized for forgetting me.

    He never outright said it, but I figured he hadn’t recognized me after I’d lost my ability to speak.

    We ate at a fancy restaurant in the mall, the kind that gave out free mints (the fancy kind) and had a dress code. The portions looked like they were meant for a baby but were staggeringly expensive.

    After lunch, Shawn had an appointment to keep, so Wren and I wandered through the mall.

    “Why don’t we do some last-minute Christmas shopping?” Wren asked, lifting a black card. It was her father’s. Her eyes held mischief.

    << No. I don’t want to get involved in whatever you’re plotting. >>

    “Come on, bae. We’re only going to spend a few thousand—he won’t even notice. You’re like a daughter to him, after all.”

    She quoted what her father had said when he’d attended my high school graduation because no one from my family had. That day, he took us to the park. We rode all the rides and ate to our hearts’ content.

    Mr. Evergreen was a great man with deep pockets. He loved and spoiled his daughter whenever he could.

    Sometimes, I felt a bit envious of Wren. She had a comforting life, a sibling who was nice to her, and parents and grandparents who adored her. She wasn’t a freak like me. She wasn’t mute, shunned, or bullied to the point where suicide crossed her mind a thousand times a day.

    Nor was she fat, forced to go on a diet every week, where even water seemed to add weight. It was so frustrating.

    But I knew her life wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.

    “Earth to Lyric!”

    I must have zoned out because Wren was waving both hands in front of me like a psychopath. My face burned with embarrassment as people watched us.

    Out of nowhere, Wren began laughing, the melodious sound echoing through the room.

    I held a finger to my lips, signaling her to keep quiet.

    “Come on, Lyric! You worry too much about other people’s opinions.”

    Of course, I knew I did. But there was nothing I could do to help my social anxiety.

    Later, we arrived at another part of the mall. At the center was a man dressed in a Santa outfit. A line of kids and their parents queued, waiting for their turn.

    For me, Santa had died the same day my mother had.

    << Why are we here? >>

    “The year is almost over, Lyric. Do you remember the naughty list we wrote at the start of the year?”

    I nodded, feeling slightly frightened.

    “Well, you have six more days to complete at least one item on that list.”

    << I don’t want to. >>

    “You have to! I’m going to go on a date with Minsoo in hopes of losing my growing feelings for my brother, and you’re going to do the same.”

    Reluctantly, I went over and dropped the list into the Santa suggestion box. My face reddened as I rushed out of there, feeling like a kid who’d stolen candy.