I sit on the edge of my bed, freshly changed into dry clothes, but my mind is still in the rain with Lyllea. The warmth of her body against mine, the way she looked up at me with those wide, trusting eyes—it all lingers, impossible to shake. I can still feel the dampness of her hair against my cheek, the way her breath hitched when I held her close. There’s no going back from that. I’ve crossed a line, and I know it.
I’m about to lie down, trying to clear my head, when my phone buzzes on the nightstand. The screen lights up, casting a soft glow in the dim room, and I feel a chill creep up my spine when I see the caller ID.
Adrian Parker.
My heart skips a beat. For a moment, I just stare at the name, my thumb hovering over the answer button. I knew this call was coming—ever since that night at the hospital—but now that it’s here, I’m not sure I’m ready.
With a deep breath, I finally press accept and bring the phone to my ear.
“Nathan,” Adrian’s voice purrs through the receiver, smooth and cold, like a blade sliding across silk. There’s an unsettling calmness to it, the kind that always makes my skin prickle with unease.
“Adrian,” I reply, trying to keep my own voice steady, but there’s no mistaking the tension in it.
There’s a brief pause on the other end, a silence that stretches just long enough to make my pulse quicken. When Adrian finally speaks again, there’s a hint of something dark in his tone—amusement, maybe, or something far more sinister.
“How have you been, little brother?” Adrian asks, the words dripping with a casual familiarity that only serves to remind me of just how deeply our lives are intertwined.
“I’ve been… good,” I lie, knowing that Adrian will see right through me, but I can’t bring myself to admit the truth. Not when it feels like everything I’ve built here—my life, my connection with Lyllea—could come crashing down at any moment.
“Good,” Adrian murmurs, and I can almost picture the sly smile curling on his lips. He’s always had a way of making the simplest words sound like they carry a hundred different meanings. “I’m glad to hear it.”
I wait, my breath shallow, as the silence stretches again. This isn’t just a casual check-in. There’s always a purpose, always an underlying motive with Adrian.
“Listen, Nathan,” Adrian finally continues, his voice lowering just slightly, taking on that magnetic, almost hypnotic quality that I’ve always envied and feared in equal measure. “I’ve been keeping an eye on things, as I always do. And I have to say, I’m impressed with how you’ve been handling yourself.”
My jaw tightens. This isn’t a compliment—it’s a test. Everything with Adrian is a test.
“Thanks,” I say, my tone clipped, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“But,” Adrian adds, drawing out the word as if savoring it, “we both know there’s a limit to how long you can keep this up. Don’t we?”
My grip on the phone tightens, knuckles whitening. “What do you want, Adrian?”
Adrian chuckles, the sound low and almost condescending, as if he finds my impatience amusing. “I just wanted to remind you of who you are, Nathan. And of what’s at stake. It’s easy to forget when you’re living in a quiet town, playing house with the girl next door.”
My stomach knots at the mention of Lyllea, a protective instinct flaring up within me. “Leave her out of this.”
“Relax,” Adrian soothes, though his tone is anything but calming. “She’s not my concern. You are.”
I swallow, trying to keep my composure. “Is that why you’re calling? To remind me?”
“No,” Adrian says, his voice softening to something almost affectionate, and that’s what scares me the most. “I’m calling to let you know I’ll be seeing you soon, brother.”
The words send a jolt of dread through me, my blood turning to ice. I don’t respond, don’t trust myself to speak without my voice betraying the fear that’s clawing at my insides.
Adrian seems to sense this because his next words are spoken with a finality that leaves no room for argument. “It’s time to come home, Nathan.”
Before I can protest, the line goes dead, leaving me staring at my phone, my heart racing.
“See you soon, brother.”
The words echo in my mind, and as I set the phone down, my hand trembling slightly, I know that whatever happens next, my life is about to change—whether I’m ready for it or not.
YOU ARE READING
Lies Beneath the Cherry Tree
Teen Fiction"Some secrets are meant to stay buried, but some-like love-refuse to die." Lyllea Finley never imagined that moving into a new home would thrust her into a world of danger, desire, and deadly secrets. But when she meets Nathan Parker, the brooding b...
