Page 17 of Unmasking You

Alexi’s grin is dazzling in its brightness.

“That’s amazing,” he says, squeezing my hand and then letting it go. “I’m meeting with a couple of mates from the gym for a few drinks, then we’re going to hit the dance floor.”

“Don’t think for even a moment that I’ll be on the dance floor.”

“You can spend your time candy shopping,” he says with a wink.

We both know I’ll never do that either, but I don’t call him on it. I cock an eyebrow at him.

“I’ll be happy if you just come with me. It’s been ages since we went out together.”

“Okay,” I concede. “But now, let’s get back to work.”

“Okay, boss.” His laugh reverberates through the room even after he’s gone and leaves a smile on my lips.

I think about my best friends. I’m so damn lucky to have found them, and so fortunate they decided I had to be their friend.

Ruby, she’s my hero, my saviour. The one who helped me through the worst moments of my life. I never felt alone after meeting her at the psychiatrist’s office. She bonded with me when I couldn’t do anything more than open my eyes every day. Even leaving my bed was a chore too exhausting for me to take on.

We exchanged phone numbers… or she forced me to give mine to her, and then the texts filled my phone, day after day. Memes, fun facts, texts with just a smiling emoji—or five—or simply asking how I was.

Sometimes, even reading her texts would drain me. I would spend my time sleeping for long periods just to wake up even more tired than before. Slowly, at a sloth’s pace, though, things changed, and I began looking forward to receiving her messages.

I push away thoughts of what happened during those changes.

Alexi had money, but he didn’t come from money, so he was kinda like me. Shamed and called an outsider, never fitting in. He left his school, and we met at a new one we attended together.

Where trusting Ruby was easy—we’d suffered the same pain—I didn’t trust Alexi at first. He had money, so he was like them. Only with his perseverance and Ruby’s constant nagging about giving him a chance were things able to move forward. That and the pack of crisps we fought over and then shared while we talked about my idea, and his interest in it, were his winning cards.

I had the brain; Alexi had the money. And on top of that, he believed in me. Teaming up was the best thing for us both. We’ve been friends since then.

A knock at the door pulls me out of memory lane, and I smile when Alexi’s head appears in between the door and the frame.

“Are you ready to go?”

“Go?”

Alexi smirks. “It’s seven, and we’re meeting the guys at seven thirty.”

“Seven?”

This time, Alexi laughs out loud, and I send a dark look his way, but there’s no heat behind it.

“How can it be seven? You were here like a minute ago.”

Another burst of laughter, and I can’t keep a straight face.

“Chop, chop,” he says, grinning at me. “I need a drink, and I’m keen on spending time with my best friend doing something other than working.”

“Let me—“ Big fingers push the screen on my laptop until he’s completely closed it, and I have no choice but to move my hands out of the way.

“Nope,” he says. “Let’s go.”

“Okay, okay. I’m ready.”

I’m kind of pleased about going out. It’s really been a long time since I last did. Since Shane.

Fuck. Why does it always go back to him?

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