LILITH

“Am I sharing too much?” Marissa asked all of a sudden, breaking the silence.

I looked up, and caught something I never thought I’d see on her face.

Uneasiness.

Marissa and uneasiness didn’t belong in the same sentence.

No matter the situation, she had always been the kind of person who exuded effortless confidence. The sort who never faltered, never lost her cool.

And yet, I knew I hadn’t imagined it.

Then there could only be one reason for that flicker of uncertainty—me.

Because she cared. Because she was worried she might’ve said something that upset me.

Realizing that, the ice inside me began to thaw slowly.

“Not at...