Lost Heart √

Three

Skylar's POV

"What is this?" I placed the small white envelope on the booth table between us. The coffee shop was crowded with people, even when it was just past eight in the morning.

Alex looked at the envelope from over the rim of his cup before slowly reaching for it. I watched as he took the letter out and read the words printed across it.

Just one sentence. Words that had been bothering me (more than I'd like to admit) since the moment I read them outside my apartment door.

"Who's lying?" He asked, finally looking at me. He seemed confused.

I raised my hands in the air, just as clueless as him, and slumped back against the booth seat. "I don't know! I'm trying to find an explanation why anyone would mail this to me."

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked over it again.

"You never get letters." He pointed out. Mostly to himself.

"Yes." I clenched my jaw. Yes, I didn't. The only time I did get one mailed to me was sent by Blake.

"Did you show--tell Caden about this?"

"No." I shook my head. "Why should I? This isn't...I don't want this to be something big."

"Well, that's not up to you." He gulped down the rest of his coffee with a grimace. "How do you drink this shit on a daily basis?"

"Alex." I leaned forward worriedly. "Someone's been lying to me. This could be a threat."

I couldn't help but replay the words back in my head. He's lying. Who was he?

"Not me." Alex sighed. "I know I've lied about countless things in the past, but I sure as fuck am not lying about anything to you right now."

I stared at him, anxiously biting the inside of my cheek.

"Unless..." His eyes widened in a comical manner. "Someone's been trying to tell you that I might've accidentally fed Chicken some of those disgusting falafel I bought for myself."

I blinked. "You did what?"

"It's probably just a prank." He waved it off with a cheeky grin when I glared at him.

"Hey, you stay away from my cat." I wagged a finger at him. "No wonder she's been climbing walls these days."

Alex laughed and ran his hands through his tufts of morning bedhead.

"I mean it, Sky. It's probably just a prank. People love messing around, you know that." He told me. "Don't worry about it."

How could I not? How could I not worry about it when the timing of this letter had been so fucking perfect? Or was that just a coincidence? A brilliant one.

"I was talking to Caden on the phone when I saw this," I spoke up, anxiously looking around the busy cafe.

Alex raised his brows. "Um...you know what you're insinuating, right?"

I exhaled in frustration. "I'm not! Look, I'm just confused. Caden's been acting shady--"

"I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate you calling him that."

"I know." My voice fell to a whisper. "I don't know, Alex. The last time someone...someone sent me a mail, things went down. A lot of them. I don't want that happening again. I just want a little peace."

He leaned forward this time and held his hand out. I slid mine in his and he squeezed with the both of his.

"No one's taking anything from you, all right?" He asked. "You're fine. Everything's fine."