Blurred Lines | ✓ [1st Edition]

22 | Haunted Pasts

"If you're gonna let me down,
Let me down easy."

When Tessa first asked us to go on a double date with her and her long-time boyfriend, Slater, I was skeptical at first. After all, I've never met him and Yuko didn't know them. Sure, Yuko and Tessa knew of each other, but other than exchanging greetings in the morning they hardly interacted at all.

"Please, Marissa! It'll be fun," Tessa pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time.

"I'll ask Yuko," I finally sighed. At this, Tessa considerably brightened and she nodded happily.

Now, I sat beside Yuko at a quaint little diner, anxiously waiting for Tessa and Slater.

"Calm down," Yuko said softly. "You're very anxious."

"Of course I am," I practically snapped, wincing involuntarily. Taking a deep breath, I slouched in my seat in defeat.

"After all, this is our first date," I continued, my voice softer and filled with uncertainty.

Yuko sighed, and placed his warm palm against my thigh in attempt to comfort me.

"It'll be okay," Yuko soothed. "We'll be alright. I'm on a date with the prettiest girl in Meilleur U after all, aren't I?"

"Kiss ass," I snorted quietly, allowing my head to rest against his shoulder. Just then, the bell at the door chimed, signalling the arrival of more customers. Raising my head to look, I realised that it was indeed Tessa and Slater.

When I caught Tessa's eye, she grinned and practically hauled her boyfriend to our table. I couldn't help but suck in a deep breath while taking in his unusual features.

Slater Caine was handsome in an unconventional way. His silky black hair piled atop his head was rather unkempt and messy. His pink lips settled into a grim line, and his sharp nose was slightly crooked.

The most unsettling thing about his face wasn't the fact that he looked like he was practically dead, but the deep, jagged scar that started from above his left eyebrow to the middle of his left cheek that was painful to look at. His left eye that had once been acquainted with something of a sharp blade was covered by a milky white film, while his right eye glowed a vibrant, unearthly blue. His eyes were piercing and haunted, and I felt nervous to even look at him directly.

If Death were a person, I'd have no doubt that Slater Caine would undoubtedly fit his description.

"Hey!" Tessa greeted cheerily. Blinking, I quickly snapped out of my daze and stood up with Yuko in tow.

"Hello," Yuko said softly, offering Tessa a kind smile. "I'm Yuko."

"Yeah, I know. We see each other in class every day," Tessa giggled, before her grin settled into a small smile. She glanced at her boyfriend, tugging at his arm to get his attention. His blank eyes snapped up from the floor and pierced into mine, making me shiver involuntarily.

"Slater, this is Marissa and Yuko," Tessa introduced. "This is my boyfriend, Slater."

Slater stared at the two of us silently, before nodding his head in acknowledgment. Tessa's eyebrows scrunched up slightly, and her eyes filled with silent disappointment. Despite that, you could clearly see the love and concern in her eyes when she looked at him, the kind of unadulterated emotion people spent lifetimes searching for.

I don't know what it was about the two of them or the way Tessa acted around him, but it was almost as if she was afraid she'd lose him again. Could his scar and eye have something to do with that?