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Chapter one
Julia
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I could feel hiseyes on me again.
No matter where I went, I knew he was watching me, but every time I looked around I couldn't see him.
I ignored the burning of his gaze on my skin as I worked.
"Latte for Tyrone," I called out, putting the green and white cup on the counter.
The list of orders was never-ending. The January cold was driving everyone in to look for warmth. It didn't help that the coffee shop was right by a bus stop, and commuters who missedtheir transfer would waste time in the cafe while waiting for the next one. Even Northern California wasn't free from the deep chill that had set in this week.
I swept my hair back from my face and scanned the seating area. He wasn't there, but I knew he was nearby.
"Julia, you good?" A voice asked.
I glanced over at my manager, Aran. “Yeah, sorry,” I sighed. “Just thought I saw someone.” I went back to filling cup after cup of overly complicated lattes and hot chocolate.
The cafe thinned out as rush-hour ended and just the usuals remained. Mostly students hunched over MacBooks, sipping red-eye coffees and muttering to themselves. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy when I saw people studying. That should have been me. I should have been working on my final year thesis instead of serving coffee, but life seemed to like to kick me when I was down.
“Grab your break Julia,” Aran said. “We’ll need you at full energy for the eight o’clock rush.”
I nodded and pulled off my apron.
I made a simple flat white for myself before going to the back room. Usually, I liked to take my break outside but it didn’t take my icy wind to know that wasn’t an option today.
The clock above my head ticked slowly, counting down the precious half an hour of break time I had before going back to the grind.
I pulled out my phone and my emotion surged through my chest. Rebecca. My older sister. My lock screen was still the last selfie we ever took together. I didn’t have the heart to change it, even though there was stray hair across my face and the angle wasn’t the most flattering.
I let out a breath and swiped the screen, feeling tears prickle at the corner of my eyes. It’d almost been a year since she died in that stupid freak accident. My sister. She deserved better than that. Knowing that she was ripped from us because some guy was too drunk to drive and too stupid to call a taxi - that made it so much worse.
I ate my plain turkey and cheese sandwich while scrolling through TikTok, using the noise to distract me from my feelings.
Rebecca's death was still eating away at me, but I had to be strong. Mom was barely holding it together, and our once-happy family felt broken beyond repair. I was the only thing that stopped us from crumbling entirely. I'd dropped out of school and taken a second job. Mom didn't work. She didn't do much of anything except sit and rot in front of the television anymore.
I did my best to not resent her. But some days were harder than others. Especially when I worked double shifts almost every day and still barely made ends meet come the end of the month.
I put my lunch box back into my purse and looked up at the clock. Time to get back to work.
***
My shift finally endedat eleven.
I was exhausted, both physically and emotionally drained.
As I walked out of the cafe, I realized that I'd forgotten my sweater back in the storeroom. I groaned inwardly. I wasn't going back there. Not now. I couldn’t afford to miss my bus. Especially if he was still lurking somewhere in the shadows.
The chilly air hit me square in the face as I stepped onto the sidewalk. My teeth chattered involuntarily as I reached for my coat pocket, searching for my bus pass.
The eyes were back. I knew he was out there in the darkness somewhere. Always watching but never approaching me. In fact, I hadn't seen him since the funeral.
Harris. My sister's ex.
Thankfully, my bus pulled up a few minutes later.
