After lunch, Collin came strolling into the room with a whistle. I simply rose an eyebrow, wondering why he as in such a good mood.
“It’s a beautiful day out. Let’s go out to walk.”
“Uh…” That was not what I was expecting.
“The only people home right now are us, Zevon, and Ace. Everyone else is out doing something.”
All right then.
After slipping on a pair of flip-flops in my size, I followed Collin down the stairs. The main floor was just like what I had seen upstairs. Simple, homey colors. Little décor decorated the walls. The furniture was brown leather, and a TV hung on the wall in the living room. The dining room had a huge table that sat at least ten people.
Once outside, we went to a black metal bench and table set up under an umbrella. Looking out over the yard, I could see the swing set and green grass that seemed to have been freshly cut.
I hadn’t seen any kids here, nor heard them for that matter. I took a seat on one of the chairs, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on top of them. I let the sun soak into my skin.
I hadn’t been outside for weeks.
“How long have I been here?”
“Over a month. The first week, you were mostly sleeping and not too coherent,” Collin answered. “How are you feeling? Any more nausea?”
“Better.” The pill that always arrived in the morning with breakfast really was a life saver.
“Good. You seem like you’re able to move around more. Everything’s healing nicely.” He paused. “I heard that you and Dominic were talking earlier.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, “until Peyton had to be nosey.”
“Peyton is protective. He means well, though. I’m surprised Dom was talking to you.”
“I don’t see why. He’s…different.”
“He is,” Collin agreed. “How much has he dived into his past?”
“When everyone throws it in his face, it’s hard to not know. Dominic was only telling me why he didn’t want to talk to me, and I understand his view.”
“Oh? What is his view?”
“He sees me as a friend and wants me to be able to talk to him if I want, instead of a have-to thing.”
“He doesn’t do friends,” Collin said, hiding his surprise.
I huffed. “He needs a chance. Just like I do.”
“You have a point.” He paused. “How are you settling in?”
“No clue,” I shrugged. “I’m still here.” Alive. Breathing.
“That you certainly are.” He shot me a small smile before leaning back in the chair and gazing out across the yard. After a few minutes, he spoke again. “I think you should get out of the house more often.”
I didn’t exactly disagree. I missed being able to have the break from Alan, just because it was the only thing I had to look forward to. Now, I didn’t know what to look towards to keep me going.
“Fresh air is always good, no matter a person’s mood, you know,” he mused. “Did you know that Peyton runs a mile almost every day, if he can. More when time allows.”
“I don’t like running,” I huffed, setting my chin on top of my bent knees.
“You used to,” he whispered, louder. “Thought of any hobbies you’d like to try?”
“No.” We fell into an awkward silence. My heart began to speed up as more seconds passed. Questions jumped through my mind of what these people expected from me.
