Page 26 of The Masks We Break

It’s custom to spend the day at the deceased’s altar, surrounded by family and friends, bonding and drawing a deeper connection with the remaining living relatives. But it’s only my dad and me. My mother’s parents moved back overseas after her death, and since my father barely acknowledges my existence outside of school, honoring her has been...hard. Lonely. Sad.

I swallow back the lump in my throat, letting the emptiness expand in my chest like a balloon. Only right now, it’s not so bad, not like it is typically. In Blaze’s arms, I feel a little lighter, a little less alone, and part of me doesn’t want to let go.

So I don’t. And he doesn’t make me. Instead, he grips me a little tighter, and one hand finds my head, brushing my hair back while little silent sobs work through my body.

It only lasts a couple of minutes, but it feels an like an eternity, and the amount of pressure released from my shoulders is staggering. I didn’t realize howtiredI was until this moment. Until someoneletme feel it. I guess being tied up in a routine doesn’t give any extra time for me to think about it. To drown in it.

Grieving something you never quite had is such an overwhelming emotion. It’s like a phantom pain in a place you can’t quite describe. And with my father's closed mouth, it’s hard to express just how much I miss someone I never even knew. It makes me feel dumb for being so distraught about it. But in Blaze’s arms, I feel safe...valid.

Finally, even though my entire body screams out in protest, I release him, stepping back and wiping my face with the back of my hand. “Th-ank yo-u.”

He nods and places the small box back into his jacket. “You don’t really have a place to put this, but I’ll make sure you get it before you leave.”

I mirror his previous nod and fold my arms around my waist, staring into Lily’s expansive backyard. My eyes land on the massive oak tree in the corner. A sizable treehouse sits in the branches, and I have to bite my tongue from smirking. No way could I ever imagine Lily, the queen of Emerald Falls, climbing into that.

“Where do you see yourself in five years?”

I half grunt, half huff, a dark shadow crossing through my chest, but happy to be talking about something else. Five years. Heck, my father has the next thirty planned out with not a single detour.

“Med school. I’m going into orthopedics. You?”

He studies me for a minute, almost like he’s observing something through the glass at a museum. I squirm under his gaze, anxiety winding through my spine, forcing me to stand up straighter.

“Where do youwantto be in five years?”

The question surprises me. Not only becauseheasked it, but becauseno onehas ever asked it. And to be honest, I’ve never given it much thought. There’s no point. It’s safe to say the moment my mother announced her pregnancy, my path was laid.

It’s as if Blaze can read the sad truth on my face and tilts my chin up to meet his dark gaze. The skin under his finger zings with an electric shock, shooting to my heart, and I know a blush is blooming across my cheeks.

“Puppet. In the end, you are responsible for your own happiness. If it means you’re surrounded by books or fixing some kid’s broken leg, make sureyoumake the choice. No one else. Don’t conform to what people want from you. You’re too fucking smart for that.”

He holds me for a few seconds longer, a sort of sadness creeping across his eyes I can’t quite figure out. Then he sighs before letting his hand fall, and my heart plummets with it. Seeing Blaze have an emotion is jarring already, but one of empathy is staggering.

I push my glasses back before glancing down at where his hand fiddles with his watch. “And what about you, Mr. Bardot? Where will you be in five years?”

Blaze clenches his jaw, but it doesn’t seem as though he’s angry, and grabs a stray leaf from a potted plant nearby.

He twirls it in his fingers before answering. “Running Clean Source Energy Incorporated with my father.”

The words are simple, matter of fact, and even though I have an inkling he too didn’t have a choice in his career, I don’t think he minds it. “I’m not sure if anyone has ever told you this, but you are so much deeper than what you show to others. Like a nonfiction book cover, but inside is an adventure into another realm.”

He huffs, and the corner of his lips twitch, but other than that, he doesn’t respond to my random thought.

We stand in silence for a few seconds, only the not-so-muffled sounds of the party filtering outside, swirling around us.

“You…” His voice trails off, and his eyebrows furrow. There’s a long pause before he turns toward me, closing the small gap between us and brushing a stray hair behind my ear.

I try to keep my breathing calm, but inside, everything is in a frenzy. Butterflies take flight, and my heart stutters. Unlike our proximity earlier, this is different. There’s something thick in the air, it’s electric, and it makes my skin tingle all the way down to my fingertips.

“You’re a dangerous distraction, puppet. But my favorite kind.”

It’s the last thing he says before he takes my hand, and we walk inside to where he found me by the drinks. The rest of the night is lost to strong liquor and laughs with Spencer.

But I do remember the drive home that night and the next morning when I finally open the little box. It’s a small e-reader with a note.

For the times you want to read in the rain.

Now

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