My jaw dropped. “Me? Violent? I am not…”
He tossed me anOh, really?expression and pointed to the scar over his eyebrow.
“You know that was an accident! That’s not fair.” I shook my head, reminiscing about the time we were running up the stairs of his house to get out of the rain. I slipped and fell into him, knocking him down and busting his brow on the corner of a wood post.
Laken and I held more memories between us than I would’ve liked. It would’ve been easier to forget him if I could look at the sun without thinking of him. Everything reminded me of Laken, even the sewer—full of shit.
I pursed my lips. “I’d say I’m sorry, but…”
“But you’re not.” He threw his hands up.
Not entirely true; however, it did feel good. My mouth parted. “But,” I corrected, “it was your fault for scaring me in the first place.”
Laken raised his brows. When I didn’t argue further, he continued. “You enjoy the festival?”
“Mm. A lot of people, a lot of talking.” Had two people become my max? “And the same old water benders,” I nagged. The same ones. Every year. It got old.
“You don’t like the water benders?”
I shook my head. How could I? I’d seen the same tricks since I turned seven.
He scoffed. “You used to love it. Maybe you’ve become boring,” he teased.
“Is that what you think?”
Laken tilted his head back a bit. “You want to know what I think? You want to hate it here. You want to hate Honey Brooke, but you don’t. You find peace in its predictability, its routine, its same old thing, day in and day out, knowing when and where everything will be. The unknown panics you, which is why you’ve been unnerved lately. Your chaos doesn’t mix well with other chaos.”
What?Excuse me? I didn’t like this town, and I didn’t like its people. The people who doubted me, judged me, and to an extent, outcasted me. “You know what I think?” I asked, waiting as he nodded. “I think you should be quiet more often.”
When things felt natural between us, like nothing had changed, I reminded myself just how much had. I reminded myself that Laken flirted and spoke with everyone; it came instinctively to him. No matter how much I was drawn in by his grin, by the glimmer in his eyes, it wasn’t real. And after being left so abruptly, I wasn’t sure any of it had been.
Laken took my advice for maybe a whole two minutes. “Reece.” The concern in his voice forced me to look at him, a soft and low tone. We came to a stop.
Whatever he was about to start, I wasn’t ready for it. I knew what he felt because yes, sure, I felt it, too. But no partof me wished to go back there. Laken left all those years ago for a reason. And for some part of that reason, I’d been left behind.
In this town.
Entirely alone.
I’d tossed around all possible excuses in my mind relentlessly; they haunted me at night and followed me during the day. Clawed at my heart, pierced my lungs. I wasn’t ready for the truth. I wasn’t sure I could handle it. Not with the sanctuary, the debt, and the stress of it all.
“I should go.” I stepped away slowly, feeling the tension between us fall apart and dissipate into nothing but regret.
“I go the same way,” he called behind me.Gods above.
“Well, then, go somewhere else!” I tossed my arms up. “Stay a safe ten paces behind me!”
“Only ten paces?”
I hate him. I hate him. I hate him.
Laken was wrong about me and this place. I’d messed up years ago, accidentally burningonebuilding. I knew they doubted me then and they doubted me now, giving me the perfect inspiration to keep going.
I’d run the sanctuarysuccessfully.
I’d pay off the debts owed.
And I’d tell Laken Augustus to shove it.
