“How did you know we were here?” Rhys asks.
“I sniffed you,” she says, seriously. “And heard you.”
Hearing those words coming from a child disturbs me greatly, because I felt nothing until my buddies were right on top of me.
Another reminder of how weak I’ve become.
I look up towards Sadie and Trina, and I’m shocked to see the change in Trina. The sunlight doesn’t seem to touch her now, and it’s as if a dark cloud has covered her face. She’s looking at me warily, as if her fight-or-flight reflex has been triggered and she’s frozen between the two instincts.
“I can’t do anything right,” I mutter.
Rhys hears my remark and carefully puts Cassie down. She bolts across the clearing back to her mom.
“I noticed the change, too,” Rhys says, clapping a hand on to my shoulder. “Trina clearly isn’t happy to see you, but with good reason.”
“What?” I blurt. “Why?”
“Do you really have to ask?” Rhys shakes his head. “She’s always been independent and solitary, according to Sadie. She likes to take care of herself. So, what you did… it really hurt her.”
“Oh,” I mutter, Rhys’s words hitting the mixed feelings I was already having and leaving only guilt behind.
As we cross the field, I try to sit with the guilt instead of making excuses to drive it away. Trina avoids talking to me, but as the group breaks up, we go in separate directions, and I can see Trina trying to get out of going home with me.
“Hey,” I say to her. “Can I take you out for dinner?”
Trina looks at me with just an edge of panic in her gaze. Sadie gives her a little elbow nudge.
“Okay,” Trina says.
It dawns on me that Sadie might actually be on my side, and a powerful rush of gratitude floods through me.
The group breaks up, and even though the ride in the car with Trina is silent, it doesn’t feel as awkward as it did before. I take her to a little food truck that is usually parked in a tourist spot. We order wraps and fries, then go and sit in the park. A small flock of birds immediately gathers. Trina brightens up, tossing crumbs to them.
“This is really nice,” she says. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for coming,” I say. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
Her eyes slide away from mine, and I can tell she’s caught between her resentment of me and a desire to make things better between us.
“It’s okay,” I say quickly. “I’m not expecting anything from you—you don’t owe me anything. I guess I’d just like to saysorry, and I hope we can talk about this more comfortably from now on.”
She smiles gently, and it lights her eyes with hints of emerald and sapphire. A genuine warmth seems to radiate from her, soothing some of the tension in my chest.
“Thank you,” she says. “I appreciate that… a lot.”
“Okay,” I reply.
She holds my gaze a little longer, then looks away, her cheeks flushed with a hint of pink. In that moment, the connection between us is undeniable, and I know that underneath it all, she has some feelings of warmth for me.
And now, I completely understand how little I deserve it.
I try to keep smiling and hold on to the moment, but guilt rises in my guts, a sickening wave of remorse that forces me to turn my eyes away from hers in shame.
Chapter 8 - Trina
After our dinner date in the park, Owen seems to back off, and the tension between us eases. Getting ready for work a couple of days later, I note that he’s kept respectfully out of my way, only checking in with me when it’s absolutely necessary.
The slight sense of freedom gives me room to breathe, and I take my time drinking my morning coffee and watching the birds in the garden. When Owen comes in, I don’t immediately feel the need to put my shields up. Instead, I find myself smiling warmly at him.
