Page 65 of His White Moonlight
“Thanks for dinner,” I said when he paid and stood.
“You’re welcome.If you want, we can come back here tomorrow, or try another place I know.”
“We’ll see how annoyed with you I am tomorrow.”
“Deal.”
We walked back to the car together, and he opened the passenger door for me.It still felt weird, especially after going out to eat with him, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it.I just got in.
“Do you want to turn on some music?”he asked on the way home.
“Sure.”
He glanced at me as I glanced at him.
“Oh, you mean I should turn it on?”
“I don’t know what kind of music you like.”
“The instructors didn’t tell you?”I asked, mostly teasing.
“They never noticed you listening to any.”
“That’s because I didn’t.”Music masked the sounds of people trying to sneak up on me.
“What about when you run?”
“Just the sound of my surroundings.”Even when I’d left school grounds, I hadn’t let my guard down.
“Then tell me if a song is pass or fail.”
We played that game all the way home, and it was kind of fun.He laughed a few times when I made a face at a few songs I really didn’t care for, which I found a little disconcerting.I couldn’t recall Bennett ever laughing before.But it sounded nice—a slow, deep sound that wrapped around me and begged for attention.
By the end of the ride, I decided that “happy Bennett” was dangerous.I let my guard down around “happy Bennett” and actually answered a few simple questions about school, like which subject I’d liked learning the most and what was my favorite kind of running shoe.
“Thank you for today,” he said when he parked.
“Why?I didn’t do anything.”
His expression closed off again.“You spent time with me without getting mad.”
I wanted to correct him, since I’d actually gotten mad several times, but kept my mouth shut since he’d actually been pretty decent the whole day.
He got out while I stayed in my seat for a moment, thinking back.Had my guilt about his being sent away to school skewed my view of Bennett?Had I reacted to him defensively when he’d come home because of it?I didn’t think so, but that had been years ago, and so much had happened since then that those memories were a little fuzzy.What I did remember was that he’d always been disapproving and had never accepted me as a sister.The latter still held true.
My door opened, and Bennett stood back so I could get out.
“Thank you,” I said.
I glanced at him twice, debating whether or not I should ask what I wanted to ask and risk creating a rift again.
As we walked through the kitchen, I decided I needed to know the truth.
“Does this mean you see me as your sister now?”
He stopped walking and looked at me.
“No.I will never see you as my sister, Wrenly.”
