I wasn’t happy to see him. Not now when I was feeling so raw. So vulnerable.
Anne coughed awkwardly.
“Good point.” Bastian stepped into the room, looking around curiously. “Huh. It’s nice in here. Much nicer than the place they’ve put David and me in.”
“Our house is perfectly fine,” his brother gruffly responded from behind him. The door opened wider to reveal both Scott brothers in the entryway.
Anne perked up instantly, pulling her long, brown hair over her shoulder and straightening the collar of her blouse.
“Boy, a few lamps would make a difference though. How can you see anything?” Bastian squinted. I had lit the oil burner a while ago, but it was getting low. The sun was setting, making the shadows long and deep.
“I can see well enough, thank you,” I replied tersely. “Why are you here?” I sounded rude. I didn’t bother to temper it. Maybe it wasn’t fair. After kissing him. After admitting to Anne I wanted to kiss him a lot more.
But it was those thoughts, those chaotic emotions that troubled me. I had to get a handle on them quickly. Before they ruined everything.
“What did I do this time? Did I breathe the wrong way?” he asked with a smirk, inviting me to join in on the joke.
I could only think of Pastor Carter. Of what would be expected of me. Of what I was jeopardizing by continuing whatever this was between us.
When I didn’t smile back, Bastian’s slipped away. And I hated myself all over again. For being the cause of its demise.
“Is everything okay? You know after the waterfall?” Bastian tried to meet my eyes but I couldn’t look at him. When I didn’t answer, he let out a sigh and directed the question to Anne this time.
“Everything’s fine,” Anne told him, omitting the very important details.
They’d find out eventually.
Obviously neither of us wanted them to know yet.
“Did Pastor speak to you too?” I asked, staring at a spot above Bastian’s head. Anywhere but directly at him. I couldn’t look at his face.
I couldn’t handle the freefall.
“No. Should he have?” Bastian asked, sounding a little belligerent. Spoiling for a fight.
Anne and I shared a look. “No. I just wondered if anyone said anything to you about missing Daily Devotional,” I added quickly.
Bastian opened his mouth to comment but then seemed to think better of it.
“So why are you here?” I questioned them.
David glanced at his brother. “Bastian wanted to know if you were coming to dinner. He was worried when he didn’t see you yesterday evening or today. He’s been going on and on about it for hours.”
David’s mood seemed better. More relaxed. I suspected it had a lot to do with the way he was looking at my best friend.
With the way she was looking at him.
Bastian squirmed, seeming embarrassed. “I have not been going on and on about it. Exaggerate much?” He glared at David who only shrugged. He looked back at me and this time I met his eyes. Dark blue. With flecks of brown.
I felt the ground give way beneath me.
This is what danger felt like.
“I wasn’tworried, per se. It’s just you left yesterday in such a rush. Especially after—” We both flushed. Thankfully neither David nor Anne were paying much attention to us. Bastian cleared his throat a few times before continuing. “Anyway, after you ran off, I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Though I shouldn’t be surprised you had to leave in such a hurry. I don’t think I’ve ever been around you when you weren’t hustling about being super busy.” He was trying to be funny. I wanted to laugh with him. I really, really did. But my mouth didn’t seem to be working properly. “Anyway, when I didn’t see you at dinner, or at breakfast this morning. And you weren’t in the garden—” He cleared his throat again and held up a battered paperback book. “Plus, I wanted to bring you this.”
I took a step toward him. That was all it took to be standing in front of him in the small space. I held out my hand and Bastian passed me the book, his fingers holding on just for a second before releasing it.
I read the cover. “Why?” I was genuinely perplexed.
