Page 63 of Eye of the Hurricane
Deep down, I know something isn’t right. I know this isn’t a conclusion she came to out of nowhere. Something clearly happened. But, it’s not my place to push her boundaries. If she’s placing them, I’ll respect them.
“Yeah, of course. If that’s what you want.”
In my mind, I’m begging her to change her mind. Or at the very least, tell me what’s going on. Things have been so perfect, she’s been having so much fun.
“It’s what I want.”
The quiet, worn-down way she speaks guts me. I don’t know how we got here. I can’t wrap my head around what changed between now and when I left her house this morning.
“I guess I’ll let you go, then. Have a good night, Kat,” I say.
“Goodnight, Ares.”
And with that, the line clicks off. I don’t know what changed, when I’ll talk to her again, or how much space she needs.
I stare at the screen, then glance into the house, seeing my loved ones all happy and content on the couch. It feels like there’s a cinder block on my chest.
Audra must feel my stare because she spots me through the window and steps away to meet me on the deck.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, like it’s not even a question of if there’s something wrong.
“I don’t know,” I sigh. She snorts a laugh.
“You wanna try that again? You look like a lost puppy out here.”
“I just got off the phone with Katherine.”
She gives me a sympathetic look and takes a seat on one of the chairs. She gestures for me to sit in the one across from her.
“What happened?” she asks.Fuck if I know.
“I don’t even totally know. She just randomly told me we needed space,” I huff, dropping into the seat across from her.
“Is it possible nothing is wrong and she really does just want some space?” Audra is always the voice of reason.
“Maybe? I don’t know. It really seemed like something was wrong. She sounded like she was fighting back tears when she was saying it,” I tell her.
“Did something happen at the campgrounds?”
“Nothing bad,” I tell her.
“Anything good?”
“Well… We messed around in the tent if that’s relevant.” She laughs.
“What’s so funny?” I pout.
“I’m sure you don’t want to hear this but the first time something like that happened with me and your brother, I ran. Not metaphorically, either. No, I ran from him and had Ravyn pick me up. I never told her why. I had all these fears.Sometimes a good thing is just as scary as a bad one if you’re not used to it.”
“You think that might be it?” I ask.
“I definitely think it’s possible. No one knows but Katherine. You’ve gotta talk to her, but you have to give her space first,” Audra tells me.
“It’s hard.”
“I know. Sometimes people just want to know they could have space if they wanted it. Might not last as long as you’re worried it will,” she says, standing and giving my hair a ruffle before leaving me alone on the deck with the darkening night.
Chapter 19
