Page 24 of Beyond Repair: Part One

Trevor's hands clench like he's fighting the urge to touch her, then the oven timer beeps. With a curse, he stands, mumbling about not wanting the nachos to burn.

Henry moves to sit on the coffee table in front of her. He glances at me, then at Nina. That goes on a few times, like he's pondering something. Finally, he shares with the class. "Neen. Do you think we don't want to be here?"

Something about Henry talking or him being near helps her shoulders relax from her ears. She nods and looks at him. My heart cracks at the pleading look in her eyes.What does she need? And more importantly, why can't she just tell us?The Nina we all knew had zero issues expressing herself. This is infuriating because it leaves way too much unspoken, which I swear to hell is what my anxiety feeds on.

"What makes you think that?" Henry's approach to hold a curious edge seems to coax Nina out of her shell.

Trevor comes back with a plate of nachos and takes a seat a few feet away from Nina on the couch. She eyes him warily and scrunches her nose at the plate of food.She used to love nachos.

"We'll get to that look soon, baby. But first," Trevor nods his head, "answer Henry."

Nina gulps, and when her attention flicks to me, I feel a sense of dread.I'm the problem. "Ridge...Ridge isn't happy. You all should go."

"I don't want to go," I blurt.I won't fucking leave her side if she keeps talking to us!

"But you—" She goes white as a sheet and gulps.

Fear. What is she afraid of?

"It's okay, Nina," Henry coos and brings his legs up onto the coffee table to sit crisscrossed. "No matter what you say, we won't hurt you. Or be mad at you."

I don't know if she believes him, but his words help me understand a bit more of what's going on. Nina's afraid of confrontation. How deep does that conditioning run?

Since I've already upset her enough for the day, I let her off the hook. "I'm sorry, Nina girl. I came in here with a lot on my mind and I know I didn't carry that well. Idowant to be here."

Nina watches me for a moment before nodding softly. When Kai asks her if she wants us to go, she only shrugs and tugs on the string of her blanket.Anxiety?

"Well," Trev cuts in. "We aren't going anywhere until you eat a bite of your lunch."

By the look on her face, we might never leave.

Chapter 19

Nina

They didnotleave. In fact, they stayed for a few more hours.

I'm still contemplating the weirdness of yesterday, making it hard for me to continue reading. I had a few bites of the nachos before I felt like I was going to be sick. Making them feel welcome in my house was asking way too much when they just barged in. But I didn't need to do anything for them to make themselves at home.

Henry migrated to the ground beside his fiancé, Trevor stayed on the couch near me, and Ridge kept his place in the recliner. For hours, all they did was talk to each other. I must not have said more than a few words, but it didn't matter. Conversation ebbed and flowed naturally.

I tried so hard to keep my eyes trained on the TV, yet I couldn't keep myself from stealing glances. So many times I wondered just what the heck they were doing hanging out in my living room. Aside from the occasional bathroom breaks, random phone calls, and trips to my kitchen for snacks, they stayed in the living room with me until I started yawning.

Something about having so many people interacting around me took all my energy. Or maybe it was the ever present thrum of anxiety. Ridge was right. They did make me uncomfortable; the whole time, honestly. But there was a security in having them here. Similar to when I'm in a room with my dad, my mind gets all fuzzy like it's taking a rest.

Huffing, I flip the cover on my e-reader and debate getting out of bed. Life is easier in the confines of my blankets. Until the doorbell rings and I have to contemplate my choices.

Ding-Dong!

Nibbling on the inside of my cheek, I tap the screen on my phone and see it's midafternoon.Sheesh, I've been stuck in my book for a few hours.My bladder screams, effectively urging me out of bed.

As I'm wiggling out of my sheets, the doorbell rings again. Grumbling, I fly out of my room and down the stairs. "Nina?" Kai hollers, setting me at ease.

Now knowing who's here, I unlock the door and fling it open before hightailing my butt to the bathroom.

"Are you okay?"So Henry's here too.

"Pee!" I basically screech and slam the bathroom door behind me with aboomthat makes me jump. Once my bladder's empty, a blush heats my face and neck.Oh my God...Who screamspeelike that?

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