Page 33 of Creeping Lily
We round the curve of the shoreline, and that’s when I see them—Wendolyn and Marshall. Wendolyn’s gaze finds me instantly, and it’s like walking into a shadow even with the sun on my skin. There’s nothing friendly in her stare. It’s cold. Unblinking. Sharp enough to slice.
I give Marshall a polite smile, but I can’t hold her eyes.There’s a… weight in them, heavy and deliberate, like she’s pinning me in place without touching me. My chest tightens, and I look away quickly.
“She’s giving you a hard time,” Justin murmurs, his voice almost lost under the wind, but I hear the thread of sympathy in it.
“I can’t waste my energy on her,” I say, shaking my head. “Life was simpler when it was just me and Bethany. Wendolyn… she’s not healthy company to keep.”
Justin’s steps falter, and when I glance at him, there’s a frown pulling his features taut. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” I answer too quickly, but he doesn’t let it go.
Before I can step ahead, his hand closes around my arm—not rough, but steady and sure. I stop, meeting his eyes, and there’s nothing casual about the way he’s looking at me now.
“What did you mean, Lily?”
The question feels heavy. The truth wants to spill out, but it’s tangled up with something intangible. It’s not just her words or the way she acts—it’s the air around her. The way it feels colder when she’s close.
“Honestly, it’s stupid,” I mumble, eyes dropping to the sand.
“Tell me.” His voice is quiet but cuts straight through me.
I hesitate, and the pause is long enough for the ocean to crash three times before I answer. “She makes me… uncomfortable. She terrifies me. And I don’t scare easily.”
His brow tightens, and I expect him to laugh it off. But he doesn’t. His shoulders shift subtly, posture tightening like a rope pulled taut. “Like she could hurt you?”
I nod once. Small, but enough.
“She wouldn’t hurt you,” Justin says, but the disbelief in his voice isn’t for me—it’s for himself. He wants to believe it. But I can tell he doesn’t.
And maybe he shouldn’t. Because I know what I’ve felt.
That gaze of hers—it’s not annoyance. It’s not petty jealousy. It’s venom. Calculated. Intentional. The kind of look predators give prey before they decide when to strike.
And I’ve been around enough danger to know—people who make you feel that way don’t just go away. They wait for the right moment.
17
JUSTIN
Anyone who says they’re not a little in love with Lily Snow is lying.
Liar, liar, liar.
Let’s start with me.
The girl is smoking hot—though she downplays it like she’s allergic to attention. I don’t think she even realizes how sexy guys find her. She’s not caked in makeup, not draped in designer labels, not bending herself into whatever shape the world wants. It’s… refreshing as hell having a girl around who doesn’t resemble any other.
She’s the kind of beautiful that sneaks up on you. No fireworks, no over-the-top theatrics—just a slow burn that hooks you without warning.
And she’s not the type to waste her college years draped over every guy who glances her way. She’s not chasing some social media-worthy love story or collecting admirers like trophies. Her focus is locked tight on her future, and she guards it like a fortress. No dating half the guys who stare at her. No all-night movie marathons. Barely even a social life.
It’s not that she’s hard work. She’s just… untouchable.
And she’s got secrets. I can see it in the way she watches a room without looking like she’s watching, in the way she flinches at certain words, in the quiet armor she wears like a second skin. There’s fear in her—real fear.
Even Bethany, who’s been her shadow since she started at the university, hasn’t cracked her open.
If I wasn’t worried I’d find something I didn’t want to know, I’d have already dug into her past. It wouldn’t be hard—I’ve got the resources. But all we’ve ever been able to pin down is the name of some tiny nowhere town she came from. So small, it doesn’t even show up on any maps. Sometimes I wonder if she made it up just to keep us from finding her.
