Trust me, babe

Chapter 13

Kathryn

I woke up to the sound of a text message.

The sun was shining through the curtains hanging over my window. Looking down at myself, I noticed I was still wearing the clothes from last night. Apparently, I had managed to crawl into my bed at some point during last night but it was all a bit hazy in my head. All I could remember was crying and strange feelings.

I reached toward my phone, rubbing my eyes with my free hand. It was already 1 PM and there were several messages from Persimmon.

Persimmon: I can see your location, why are you at home?

Persimmon: Weren't you supposed to be working?

Persimmon: Can I come over?

Persimmon: I'm coming over.

The last message was what had woken me up. It was sent a few minutes ago which meant she would be here in ten minutes. Ten minutes wasn't enough time to make myself look presentable, given the state I was in right now. Nevertheless, I pushed myself out of bed, making my way to the bathroom.

I was in the middle of pulling on a clean pair of leggings, when the buzzer rang, letting me know Persimmon was outside. Throwing one last glance at myself in the mirror, I rushed to let Persimmon in. I waited anxiously for the few minutes I knew it would take her to climb the stairs to our floor. Then the doorbell rang and I made my way over to the door, taking a deep breath on my way.

"You are acting so weird. What the heck is going on?" she asked as soon as I opened the door.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stepping to the side to let her in.

"First leaving the sleepover so abruptly, claiming you had to work today but then being home all day," she crossed her arms, eyeing me sternly.

"Can we talk over lunch? I'm starving." I hadn't eaten anything for who knew how long. At least not after getting home last night. Besides, I needed time to think about what to tell Persimmon. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to reveal to her.

"Fine," she sighed. "How's your foot, by the way?"

"Better," I told her. The toe was swollen and putting weight on it hurt a bit but I could walk almost normally.

I grabbed my phone and keys before following Persimmon back outside and to her car that was waiting in the parking lot. We drove to a nearby café in silence. It was weird, given how Persimmon usually was. All bubbly and chatty, not one silent moment with her. It seemed I had really gotten her worried. And perhaps a bit angry, too. It slowly dawned on me that I probably had to tell her something if I wanted to keep her in my life. And having at least one friend here wasn't a bad thing. Quite the opposite really.

After ordering lunch for the both of us and a huge cup of coffee for me, we sat down at a table in the quiet corner of the café. She stared at me expectantly, waiting for me to begin my explanations.

I sighed. "I didn't have work today."

"Kinda figured that one out," she remarked.

"I'm sorry. It's just... it's really complicated," I mumbled. If she really wanted to understand what had happened, she would have to hear everything about Mikey. He was the reason I couldn't trust Samson. The reason I couldn't trust any guy, let alone fall in love with one.

"We're friends, Kathryn. You can tell me anything," she insisted.

"Why didn't you tell me Samson was Louisa's brother?" I asked her. It had been bothering me ever since I'd found out they were siblings. Persimmon had been Louisa's friend for a really long time. She had to know Samson was her brother, right?