Page 26 of Creeping Lily

JUSTIN

T he bonfire spits and snarls, each crackle tearing through the dark like a warning.

Sparks flare up and vanish into the night, swallowed by the black stretch of sky.

The beach is empty except for us—a tight ring of college friends hunched around the metal barrel, our faces flickering in the firelight.

Waves drag themselves lazily onto the shore, their rhythm almost calming… almost.

I talked Lily into coming tonight.

Now I’m regretting it.

Across the circle, Trick is a shadow apart from the rest, parked on the edge like a storm cloud no one wants to stand under.

His eyes are locked on Lily, unblinking, and there’s something in the way he watches her that makes my skin crawl.

He’s been nursing this thing for her so long it’s curdled into something sour.

She’s laughing at something I just said, hair catching the light like copper wire, and it hits me hard enough to stall my breath. She’s not laughing for him. She’s never laughed for him. And yet, Trick just sits there, soaking in her like he has the right.

I’ve stopped worrying about his feelings. If he wants to drown himself in his own obsession, fine—but I’m not tying the anchor around my neck with him.

There are girls here—dozens—gorgeous, half-drunk, hanging on every word he could say if he bothered. But no, he’s glued to Lily Snow. The one girl who’s made it clear she’s not interested. The one girl he refuses to hear a “no” from.

Lily doesn’t even glance at him. She’s leaning into Amara and Bethany, laughing at some joke I missed, and for a moment, it’s almost normal. Almost.

But I catch the way Trick’s fists tighten, his knuckles whitening like he’s holding himself together by the skin of his teeth.

I’ve had enough.

The sand hisses under my shoes as I cross the short distance between us. Things between us haven’t been right since the club incident, but some lines don’t get ignored. I lean down, my voice low enough for him alone.

“Hey. Maybe it’s time to give it a rest with Lily. She’s made it pretty damn clear she’s not interested.”

His jaw clenches. He doesn’t look at me.

“Because she’s interested in you?” he fires back, his tone dripping accusation. “I know you have a thing for her.”

I shake my head slowly, refusing to take the bait. “It doesn’t matter who she has a thing for. What matters is—she’s not into you. Stop making it awkward. She doesn’t deserve this.”

His eyes spark like gasoline catching flame. “I’m not giving up on her just because you say so.”

His voice cuts over the fire, sharp enough to pull eyes our way. I’ve never seen him this wound up—never, in all the years I’ve known him.

Lily looks over, sensing the shift in the air. She says something to Amara, then gets up and walks over, her boots sinking into the sand .

“We came here to have fun,” she says, her gaze flicking between us. “What’s going on?”

Before I can answer, Trick grabs her wrist. Not hard. But it’s enough.

“Can we talk for a minute?” His voice is pleading, desperate.

Her brows pull tight. “Let go of me, Trick.”

He doesn’t. His eyes are full of all the wrong things—hope, want, entitlement.

“I just want to talk,” he murmurs, low enough that it’s almost lost under the waves.

“Trick. Enough.” My voice cuts sharper than I’ve ever used on him.

He turns on me, rage blazing. “I told you to stay the fuck out of it, Justin!”

It lands harder than I expect, but I don’t back down. “Respect her boundaries. That’s it. That’s all you need to do.”

The air between us is tight as wire, and I can feel the circle around the fire leaning in.

Lily takes a step back. “I think I should go.”

She turns, but Trick’s hand snaps out again, fingers locking around her arm. He leans in too close, his breath hitting her face.

“Come on, Lily. Just give me a chance. You haven’t even given us a chance.”

Her frustration flares into something sharp. “I said no. Let go of me!”

“You’re being ridiculous,” he insists, tugging her closer. “Just stay with me a bit.”

Her eyes flick to mine—pleading, asking without words for me to end this.

Something in me breaks. I move before I think, two strides and my hands on his chest, shoving him back hard enough to make him stumble .

“Get your hands off her!” My voice rips through the night, louder than the waves, louder than the fire.

Trick recovers fast, his snarl twisting his face. “What the fuck, bro?”

“Leave her alone. If she’s said it once, she’s said it a hundred times.”

He glances around, maybe hoping for backup. He gets nothing. No one here is on his side.

Bethany and Amara are already moving Lily back, away from him. Trick notices and tries to push past me, throwing a wild punch that I duck. I grab him by the collar, dragging him back.

“Touch her again,” I growl, “and see what happens.”

For a second, I think he might swing again—but then he shoves me off and storms into the dark, Wendolyn trailing after him like a shadow that doesn’t know any better.

I stand there, chest heaving, watching him vanish into the night. Whatever we had—whatever history kept us tied together—it’s gone now. Burned up in the firelight.

And I’m not sure I want it back.