Dead Pretty

that’s what I want.
But this time … I don’t.
I’m the one to speak. “So, how is Eleven?”
He smiles. It’s wide and happy, and it gives me a pleasant feeling in my belly. I choose not to delve into the why.
“Well, she’s not happy with regular old cat food now. She turned her nose up at it this morning. I think she’s gotten a taste for tuna.”
“Oops. Sorry.” I screw up my face, apologetic.
He laughs. It’s rich and warm. Like melted chocolate in my mouth.
“No need to be sorry. You did me a favor. Not many people would have looked out for her like you did.”
I shrug, looking down at my feet. “Sure, they would.”
“No, they wouldn’t.” It’s the insistent tone of his voice that brings my eyes back up to his.
There is something incredibly hypnotic about his eyes. I find it hard to look away from them—and him.
The quiet between Jack and me is here again, but now, it’s filled with something else … something that I shouldn’t be feeling around any man.
But I still can’t seem to look away.
Thankfully, Jack breaks the spell he put me under.
“So”—he clears his throat—“I was wondering if you would let me buy you a coffee, as a thanks for taking care of Eleven yesterday.”
Of course, my hormones immediately say yes.
Thankfully, my head is smarter and more in control than my long-underused female parts.
“That’s not necessary. But thank you for the offer.”
See, I can say no politely.
“Come on. You’ve got to let me do something. Buy you a takeout coffee at least?”
He pushes his hands into his jean pockets, rocking back on his heels. His smile is boyish. And the old me would have fallen for it in seconds.
Well, to be fair, the old Audrey would have said yes to the first offer of coffee, quite likely sitting in a coffee shop with him right now—or well on her way to one.
But this Audrey won’t. She can’t.
“Honestly, it’s not necessary.” I keep my face pleasant but my tone firm.
“Okay.” He nods, seeming to get the hint. “But the offer stands if you ever change your mind.”
I won’t.
“Thanks.”
His smile is congenial. “Right, well, I’ll leave you in peace. Have a good rest of the day.”
“You too. Have a great day, that is.”
For Christ’s sake. I really wish I could be normal, just for once.
Jack hesitates a moment, like he’s going to say something else. I hold my breath, waiting. Wanting him to both go and stay in equal measure. It’s a weird feeling for me.
Usually, all I want is for people to leave me alone.
With him … it’s definitely mixed.
I want to push him away with one hand and pull him back with the other.
It’s confusing and disconcerting. I have known the guy not even twenty-four hours.
Okay, I was maybe watch-stalking him for a little longer than that.
But that doesn’t mean I know him because I most definitely do not.
You never really know anyone.
“So, I’ll see you around, Audrey,” he says.
The feelings his deep voice elicits in me have me turning away from him, giving him my back. “Probably not. Bye, Jack.”
I sound like a bitch. But it’s best he thinks of me as one.
I don’t need Jack to think we’re neighbors who can chat.
Yes, we might be neighbors, but my avoidance skills are second to none. If avoiding people were an Olympic sport, I would be a gold medalist.
I lift the book in my hand, ready to put it back in its place on the shelf.
I hear Jack sigh softly behind me, followed by the sound of his footsteps as he walks away, leaving me alone.
Alone, like I want to be.

I stare down at the silent cell phone in my hand.
I used to have a phone that rang often. Dinged with text messages. Social media notifications.
I had friends. A life.
Now, I have a phone that stays silent. No text messages from friends. No social media accounts, as I deleted them all.
I have no friends. No life.
I basically have this cell phone in case of emergency and so I can call my brother, Cole.
I have to call him once a week to check in. It was our agreement when I told him I was moving away from the only home I had ever known.
I bring the screen to life and dial Cole’s number.
He answers on the second ring.
The sound of his voice saying, “Hi,” fills my chest with warmth.
It’s that feeling of home. Only my brother can give me that feeling now.
“Hey,” I say to him. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good. Miss my sister. Wish she would let me see her.”
“Cole …” I sigh.
“I know; I know,” he utters. “I just think it’s crazy that you won’t let me see you. Even crazier is that you won’t tell me where you are.”
“Can we not go over this again?” We have this exact same conversation every single time we speak. “You know my reasoning.”
Cole doesn’t know where I am. I didn’t tell him when I left.
It’s not that I don’t trust him; of course I do. He is the only person in the whole world I do trust. I just worry if he came to visit me here, and he was followed …
A shudder runs through me.
After the murders and Tobias’s trial, Chicago just didn’t feel like home anymore. There was the press, constantly outside my house, and then there were the crazies, fans of Tobias. I guess I just didn’t feel safe in Chicago any longer.
I wanted to get away from people. Including my brother. I know that sounds awful, and I would never say it to him out loud. And it’s not that I don’t love him or want to be around him … but I just wanted a fresh start.
To be somewhere no one knew me or about what had happened.
“Just because I know your reasoning doesn’t mean that I agree with it. But fine, I will never bring it up again.” His tone is annoyed. It’s been like