Bittersweet Memories (Off-Limits #4)(10)

Chapter Seven





Alanna



I’m nervous as I make my way to the shelter. I’ve been working there for a few weeks now, and usually Si just ignores me, clearly going out of his way to avoid me. I wonder if he’ll do the same today. I’m not sure why he purposely keeps me at a distance, but I love catching glimpses of the boy he used to be.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the way he helped me in the park last week, and the strength with which he held my body against his. I’m not blind. I’ve noticed his muscles and the few faint scars on his face that weren’t there before. I can’t help but wonder what his story is. How does a guy like him end up in a homeless shelter?

Each night, I wonder if I should text him, perhaps to thank him for his help. I find myself curious about him, and I won’t deny that I find him attractive. I suspect that he still sees me as the little girl from the cemetery, and I can’t help but want to change that.

Ricardo waves at me when I walk in, a warm smile on his face. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve come to understand why my father values him so much. I’ve never met a person as genuinely good and caring as Ricardo, and he makes me want to be a better person, too.

“Hi!” I tell him.

“I’ve got a boring job for you today.”

“What is it? Packaging food?”

Ricardo grins and nods. “How did you know?”

I shake my head. “I have been coming here for a while, you know? Usually when you tell me it’ll be a boring day, it means packaging food to distribute. Boring days are my favorite, because that’s when you tell me stories about my dad while we work.”

Ricardo looks down, his expression regretful. “Unfortunately, I can’t accompany you today. I’ve asked someone else to help you, and I trust him fully. He’ll keep you safe.”

I frown, and Ricardo tips his head toward the doorway behind me. “Si?”

“You’ve met Silas before?” Ricardo asks, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity.

Silas. His name is Silas, not Simon. “Yeah. We first met each other years ago.”

Ricardo looks between the two of us, an unreadable expression on his face. “I see,” he says, his voice soft. He turns to Silas and nods. “I’ll leave Alanna in your care for the rest of the day. Please walk her out once she’s done, will you?”

Silas nods, and Ricardo claps him on the back before walking away, leaving the two of us standing in front of his office.

“Silas,” I say.

He looks up sharply, his gaze dark. Something about his expression has my heart beating a little faster, and I can feel heat spread across my cheeks.

“Your name is Silas… not Simon.”

“I never said it was.”

“But you also didn’t tell me your full name, nor did you ever correct me.”

He looks away and leads the way to the storage room, where Ricardo and I usually prepare the food packages that we hand out outside of the facility. “There was no need for you to know my name.”

I bite down on my lip and push down the indignation I feel. “Surely we’re at least on a first name basis?”

“We shouldn’t be.”

He takes a key from his pocket and unlocks the storage room, holding it open for me before locking us inside the way Ricardo always used to. From what I understand, it’s to prevent anyone from coming in here to steal the food gathered here, but it feels different being in here with Silas.

“Does this count as putting myself in a dangerous situation?”

Silas leans back against the door, his gaze roaming over my body, before settling on my lips. Perhaps he no longer sees me as a little girl, after all. I did have my entire body pressed against his just a week ago.

“No,” he answers, his voice soft. “I will never knowingly harm you, Alanna. I do appreciate you being aware of the situation. If it had been anyone other than me, you should’ve declined to help out today. Who knows what could happen when you’re locked into a room with a man for hours?”

I smirk and cross my arms. “You’re hardly a man,” I say, repeating the words I said years ago.

Silas chuckles and runs a hand through his hair. “Little girl,” he says. “If you weren’t so young, I’d feel inclined to defend my honor.”

He remembers. He remembers the words he said to me back then. I’m not sure why I care so much, but I do.

“I’m not so young anymore,” I murmur.

Silas’s smile melts off his face, and he looks away. “You are, Alanna. If I recall correctly, you’re about sixteen now. You’re still a baby, little girl.”

He should be twenty or twenty-one now, yet he acts like he’s thirty, just like he did back then. I’m about to argue with him, but he holds his hand up and shakes his head. “Let’s get to work, shall we? There’s a lot to do.”

I nod and join him at the table, the two of us working harmoniously for a little while. There’s something equal parts soothing and unsettling about his presence. I feel at peace, yet my heart won’t stop racing.

“That boy,” he says eventually, an edge to his tone. “Did he do or say anything to you?”

I hesitate, unsure of what to say. Ever since I boldly claimed that Silas is my boyfriend, Caleb has been spreading rumors about me, saying I’m a slut, and that I did things with him I’ve definitely never done before. No matter how much I dispute it, most people just believe him anyway.