Page 107 of The Lies We Steal

Every time I told myself I would walk away, I would leave him alone if he didn’tgive me something to go on.

I just couldn’t do it.

Shamefully, I was willing to do it, as long as I had certain parts of him. Deep down I knew there was something there, he just wasn’t letting me see it. I had known it the moment I saw him, Alistair was addictive. I just didn’t know how much, until I finally had a taste.

Quitting him wasn’t easy, especially with the way he touched me. The way he held me when we were together and the way I caught him soften his gaze when we laid next to each other after our orgasms.

He was winding his web tighter and tighter around me and I was letting him.

“We are just friends.” I say, brushing it off as nothing. I wasn’t lying, we didn’t have a label so friends was closer than to the truth.

“And that’s fine. I just want you to be careful, okay? Alistair has particular notoriety here. His family too. I just don’t want you getting hurt, Briar.”

I knew if it were my dad, he would have said the same thing. My dad would have already tried beating Alistair up, but he would have said this to me beforehand and even though he was telling me to steer clear of him, I was still thankful.

Wrapping my arms around his waist I hug him quickly, “I’ll be careful. Thank you, Thomas.”

This seems to bring relief to his shoulders, the breath he releases rolls across the top of my head as he hugs me back.

“I missed out on group hugs?” Lyra says, walking over with other boxes, pouting jokingly.

We spend the next hour helping Thomas put the game together, even helping get his first few customers started before we start taking on the carnival rides that we know are probably not the safest.

My hair is windblown, my cheeks feel chapped from the last ride and I haven’t stopped laughing since we got here.

I’m talking to Lyra, walking around when my shoulder grazes someone else.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I mutter, turning around and reaching my hands out to catch whoever I’d hit.

“It seems we are just destined to keep meeting like this,” He says, “I’m starting to think you’re running into me on purpose.”

I’m nearly blinded by his smile, but even that’s not enough to distract me from the fact I know his face.

When I ran into him outside of the library a while ago, I didn’t think he’d remember me. We’d had a quick conversation while I gathered my books about my chosen major and if I ever needed help with my classes, to reach out to him.

Having only seeing him in pictures up till that point made it even more shocking at the resemblance of him and Alistair. Dorian could’ve been his twin, minus the way his nose tilts to the left a little too much, and his cheeks are soft compared to Alistair’s sharp ones.

“How are your classes going? Any teachers giving you trouble? I know Mr. Gabble can be quite the stickler.”

“They are going fine. No problems, yet.” I force a smile onto my face, hoping if I keep the conversation light I can shuffle away from him quicker.

“Oh, I’m being rude, I’m Dorian,” He sticks his hand out for Lyra to shake, which she returns, “Dorian Caldwell.”

“Lyra,” She replies moving her hand up and down with his.

“Are you ladies enjoying the carnival? I swear every year it gets more and more attractions. Hollow Heights is going to need a bigger fairground come next year,” He laughs, placing his hands in his pockets.

“It seems that way.” I say awkwardly.

Dorian had never given me a reason to find him odd, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a part of the reason Alistair hated his family so much.

“You both are freshmen, right? So you know my brother, Alistair?”

The way he asks the question makes me think he knows the answer already. This glint in his eye that’s daring me to lie to him. Watching to see how I would react.

“Of course we know him. Well, knowofhim. Your last name is pretty popular around this area.” I cover my lie with a joke, hoping my fake laughter will be enough to convince him.

“Consider yourself lucky you met the more charming brother first then.” He adds a wink for good measure.