Chapter Thirty-Two #2
She nods again. “Yeah, I kind of resented you because of how perfect you were, of how people looked at you, but I realized through Caio’s help that it only mattered if I was happy, if I was proud of myself.
It’s kind of nice to know that you’re not as perfect as I always thought you were,” she raises her brows and I just nudge her in the side causing her to chuckle.
“But seriously, Miles. It goes for you too, it only matters if you’re happy. If you’re proud of yourself.”
I lower my gaze back to the water. “I wasn’t proud of that decision, to leave her like that.
But I knew that at the time I couldn’t look her in the eye and tell her I wasn’t coming back.
” Isla narrows her eyes at me. “I know it’s not a good excuse, but at the time, that’s the decision I made. And I have regretted it ever since.”
She nods slowly. “So…” she hesitates. “What’s different now? Don’t get me wrong, I love having you here, but what are you going to do?”
I meet my sister's eyes again, hoping she can see that I mean every word. “I’m going to make up for it.”
I take a breath as we walk through the door to Vanessa’s bakery.
My eyes catch on a pair of hazel ones as soon as I take a step inside.
I don’t look away, I can’t. I don’t know what I’m searching for, maybe a sign that she’s okay that I am here.
I haven’t seen her since we decided to be friends, so I have no idea how she’s feeling or what she’s thinking about me.
“There you are,” a deep voice says from somewhere to my left. “You’re late, sweetheart.”
Caio .
“Sorry,” Isla says sweetly. “We had some catching up to do.”
Caio catches my eye and nods at me, I nod back. It’s like some form of approval, understanding maybe. As I look around the table I see all of my sister’s friends gathered around it, leaving only one spare seat, and it’s right next to my girl.
Correction. My friend .
I warily take the seat, keeping my eyes low. I don’t know quite how I fit in with this group. If I do at all.
“How did it go at the gym?” Caio asks.
“Good,” I say. “I’m all signed up.”
“You signed up to go to the gym?” Marina asks from beside me. “Are you insane?”
I just grin, I can’t help it when she talks to me the way she used to. When she’s not guarded or wary, but open enough to talk to me straight.
“Don’t worry, mama bear,” Leo says, catching everyone’s attention. “I’m going to look after him.”
“Says the guy who watched from the sidelines while he got beaten to a pulp?” I’m surprised by her flare of protectiveness, and everyone else seems to be too because the table goes quiet.
“Okay,” Leo rears his head back, “I was pulling on Boulder’s fucking tree trunks of arms trying to get him off but I was like a fly on a horses back, he didn’t even feel me.”
One night at Caio and Isla’s apartment they told me that Leo jumped into the ring to get Boulder off me, that both he and the ref had to drag him away from me. Leo never told me that after the fight.
“Somehow that is not reassuring,” she mutters.
“I’m only doing lower body, it’s fine,” I say.
She raises her eyebrows. “Oh, so we are just going to pretend that working your lower body doesn’t strain your upper body too? Who are you trying to fool?”
“I have to get some exercise in somehow. This is the best way to do it without jarring my upper body, unless you have any other suggestions?”
The table around us stays silent, and I know everyone is watching us, watching how we interact, but I can’t rip my eyes away from hers, not as something sparks behind them.
“Did I miss a chapter here?” May asks, and when I look up, I see her eyes glittering as she looks between us.
Isla just nudges her with her elbow, telling her to shut up with her eyes while everyone else pretends to be occupied with one thing or another.
Everyone except Leo, who’s smirking at me, a look of something akin to pride in his eyes.
He knows my intentions, but he also knows Marina, so knowing he’s happy witnessing whatever that moment was between us gives me some kind of assurance.
“So, Heath,” Caio breaks the silence. “How’s it going with the new mare? Any breakthroughs yet?”
I internally thank Caio for dragging the attention away from us as they all fall into conversation about Heath’s new rescue horse. But I can’t care enough to listen, not as I feel the string of tension stretching between me and the girl next to me.
My head twists to look at the woman by my side without my consent. The look on her face only makes me glad my body moved of its own accord. She’s got this small smile on her face that says she can feel it too.
I lean back in my chair until I’m close enough that only she can hear me. “I’m dying for a swim, do I have permission to visit your beach spot, or am I banished from ever swimming there again? ”
“I should have banished you from swimming in any of Italy’s waters. With the way you choose to swim, there could very easily be a shark mistaking your manhood for lunch. And we really can’t be having a death in our waters, it would be bad for tourism.”
I choke on air and everyone’s heads snap in our direction. Marina brings her mug of coffee to her lips, hiding her smile. I just shake my head and wait for everyone else to get back to whatever conversation was keeping them occupied before.
“Should I ask the others to join us?” I ask.
“No,” she quietly snaps. “Sorry, they just don’t know about that spot, and I want to keep it that way.”
“Just me and you then?”
She sucks on the inside of her cheek. “Just me and you. But no funny business.”
I put my serious face on. “No funny business.”