Her Safe Haven

Chapter 34 - The Haven Before The Storm

Previously on Her Safe Haven: Winter bled after she found a cutter knife hidden in her sponge painting set, and the next week she fainted after a possible attack in the changing room. Seth  suspected that the attacker was Leah Stewart. Rose and Tria found Winter's The Merchant of Venice book ripped apart with a threatening note and they taped it together for her.

With Dr Switzgerald only returning now after taking a two weeks holiday, this was the first time in almost three weeks that Winter was going to see Rohan again. They texted and video called every few days, but Winter couldn't deny that she was excited to be in the same room with Rohan again. To touch him again.

It was now almost the end of June, the peak of Summer, and though Dews Town was far up north near the Canadian border it had gotten warmer there. Rohan — to Winter's surprise — had made a day planned out for them that Saturday after therapy to tour around Dews Town. "It's the least I could do after the tour of Lakeside* you gave me in January," he had said.

Rohan, on his part, had been seeing his town in a different light ever since Winter called it "beautiful" when she was first here during the sports festival. The town that was once lonely and dark had become more alive in his eyes — he could now see the beautiful parks lining the streets and the gorgeous river surrounding the city centre, and the smiles of families living in it.

In his day plan, he had decided to try something completely new: to do a paddle boat tour of his town with Winter. Winter was delightfully surprised when he showed her the tickets to the boats he had reserved, and he had to admit that seeing her smile in excitement was already a reward all on its own.

"Watch your steps," he said as he took her hand and gently pulled it into the small paddle boat from the dock. It had been almost three weeks since he last touched her, and though the touches still always gave him a small tingling sensation in his stomach, he found that he was much more used to the feeling and to her sometimes-shy-sometimes-bold responses by now. It was not an unpleasant feeling at all — in fact he delighted when she initiated the contact sometimes to hang on to his elbow, or to hold his hand.

They rowed a little bit further from the crowd of many other boat paddlers, and after a while just sat still and let the river flow took them on the tour. The tour was to last about an hour, and Rohan had prepared a small box of sandwich to enjoy during it.

"So," he started as he gave her his half of the tuna sandwich, "what's new with you? We talked almost every day but we have only been talking about school work and your ideas for the student council election. Anything else you can tell me?"

His small secretive smile tugged on her heart, and it made her want to tell him everything. But with everything that's been going on, how would she even start? 'Well, you know, nothing much,' she signed in between bites, 'there's not much development in the Love Polygon or anything...'

"No, not about your friends," he said, still smiling patiently, "about you. I want to hear what's going on with you."

His expression fell just a little, because even though he hated it, he saw the subtle changes in her mood. How throughout the weeks her talks got less and less personal and more professional. How she seemed to stare long into spaces once every few minutes, and how even though she grinned when he showed her the tickets for the tour, she seemed to hold back on her happiness because it didn't reach her eyes.

Her eyes. He didn't know what was wrong, and Jonah had only called two weeks ago to tell him that she "fainted during sports class", and he had almost come in worry to Lakeside but she video called him and reassured him that everything was fine and told him not to come, so he didn't. But something had been going on lately, because he could always see it in her eyes. They told him everything. And it pained him that she didn't want to confide in him about what was wrong.