Chapter 13

Grey felt horrible; he was sick to his stomach. Everything about this girl made him want to stay. He wanted to throw away what he was told to do, pretend it wasn't the reason why he met her.

He could feel her tears staining his shirt. In his eyes, the truth about her father wasn't a big deal, but that obviously wasn't how she saw it. Grey had so much more to admit to her, but in that moment he knew it would break even the strongest of spirits.

He moved his hand up to Arder's head and stepped back to look at her.

"We should go," he said, brushing her bright hair away from her face.

She too stepped back from the embrace, seemingly embarrassed. She nodded and started towards the back entrance, wiping the tears away in the process.

"Grey?" she asked, once they were outside.

"I can take you back to school," he told her, scanning the yard to make sure they were alone.

"Could you take me to the cafe?" she asked, following his gaze around the property. The short oak trees surrounding them rustled in the light breeze. The wind was a relief to Grey, who felt so constricted with all the lying. It was exhausting.

He nodded and followed her down the concrete path. "Are you sure you want to go to work like this?" he asked.

Arder looked sideways at him. "I stay with my boss in her apartment sometimes. She's like family," she explained. "Are you still staying at the factory?"

Grey nodded, unsure of where she was going with the question.

"Where's your mom?" she asked hesitantly.

"Honestly," Grey replied, "I have no idea." He shook his head at the thought. "She just didn't come home one day and I haven't seen her since. Then Cyrus showed up, telling me your father had died." He stopped and looked at her, the apology clear in his eyes. "He hung around the house for a while, never asked where my mom was. He was planning to come back here before he died, so it just seemed like the best place for me."

Grey knew that everything that came out of his mouth was a lie, but it didn't feel that way. His mother did leave him, except it was his father's fault.

Arder looked back at the road in front of them as they walked, not facing Grey. Then she touched his hand as lightly as possible in a whisper of reassurance. Grey almost didn't notice, but when he did, he took her hand in his own. Arder glanced at him as they turned onto the street of Cara's.

"I should head back to school," Grey said, dropping Arder's hand and brushing his dark curls off his forehead. She nodded, and Grey followed her gaze to the cafe's window. He could already smell the fresh coffee, and the rich scent alone filled him with warmth. He could see Lexie waiting inside, which made it much easier to leave her there.

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow," she answered. Grey then surprised her by gently touching the end of one of her red curls. He twirled it softly before stepping back, a smile present on his face.

"See you tomorrow," he said before walking back down the street.

What am I doing? he questioned himself.

He knew exactly what he was supposed to be doing, and this was not it. He had already been in the area for weeks before actually meeting Arder, and he was running out of time. He had been given way too many chances that he did not take, and someone was going to notice. This needed to end; he had one simple task to complete, and then he could go back to his life.

But every single time he tried, he couldn't go through with it. His old life was becoming just that-- his old life. Grey had developed an emotion he couldn't possess, something that made his impossible mission even more difficult. 

He loved her, and now he had to kill her.

"You're such an idiot," he mumbled to himself. He had taken the hard route and tried to spare her, but nothing had worked. If he didn't finish this, someone else would. And it would be much worse.

Grey knew it was her on his very first day in the city; she stood out anywhere she went with that hair. He thought back to the day he arrived, remembering every little detail.

~~~

"Don't you dare try to apologize," Grey heard across the street. He could see the girl yelling. With her fiery red curls, you couldn't miss her even if you tried. It was like a light, letting off a soft glow that traveled all the way to where he stood in hiding.

The older woman, clearly angry, shook her head and slammed the front door in the girl's face. The redhead, left outside, ran her hands through her mess of curls, the shocked expression on her face crystal clear.

Grey saw her knock on the door repeatedly, but it stayed shut. Eventually, all the lights in the house went out. Everything in Grey's being begged him to go help her, to tell her it would be fine. That wasn't his job though; his mind fought back and made him stay where he was. So he stayed in that alley, silently watching the girl walk past.

He followed her all the way downtown to a short, restaurant-looking building where he found her shaking. He could see how upset she was, yet he did not approach her.

She walked up the side steps to what looked like an apartment  and unlocked the door. The girl scanned the street below, as if sensing his presence. Grey didn't move; he was hidden in the shadows where no one could spot him. After a few tense moments, she quickly disappeared inside.