Despite the Pain

Chapter 7

I stood outside of Albion's door for a moment to listen. I heard the groan of the bed springs as he dropped down onto his mattress. I moved downstairs quietly. Ryan was sulking in the kitchen and scrubbing the hell out of the pans in the sink. Ethan stepped into the room as he heard me come down.

"Everything okay up there?" he asked, glancing toward the stairs.

"I think so," I said, looking back over my shoulder. "He's having a rough few days, I think." Ethan nodded. I tightened my scarf as we said some slightly awkward goodbyes before I left. Ryan didn't even look away from the sink.

As I walked I thought back over the past couple of weeks; how detached he always was and how distant he seemed. It was frustrating. When I did seem to catch his attention it was clear that I didn't have all of it, but it was rarely that even happened. He certainly seemed more at ease with me than anyone else, though I found myself wondering what I could do to work that to my advantage.

At school, the next day, Gisselle noticed my preoccupation immediately and made a few idle comments I did my best to ignore. That lasted until about lunchtime, when I couldn't stand the circle my brain was running in any longer. I pushed my meal aside, leaning forward. She cocked an eyebrow, slowing mid-chew.

"How do you get Callum to pay attention to you?" I asked. She looked both thoroughly confused and very, very amused by the question.

"What?" she laughed.

"I know he listens to you," I rolled my eyes. "And he doesn't listen to anyone. How do you do that?"

"Why are you trying to get Callum to listen to you?" she said, putting her sandwich down and leaning her arms against the table.

"Not Callum," I shook my head. I could feel a hint of a blush creeping into my face and hoped it didn't show. "I'm just sort of...asking. In general."

"Dawn Reynolds are you trying to get a boy's attention?" Gisselle's face all but lit up. "Is it Albion? It's so Albion. It's either him or his brother and...ew. It's Albion, isn't it?"

"I'm not trying to get his attention like that," I gave her a look. The smirk on her face told me she didn't believe a word of it. "I just want to help him, and I'm the only person he opens up to."

"Yeah, you've mentioned that," Gisselle raised her eyebrows. I sighed, looking away. "Listen, if he likes you it's only going to work in your favor. And who knows, Albion's a good guy, pretty cute. Maybe he'll bring out the human in you."

"Spare me." I glanced back at her before pulling my meal in front of me again. I shouldn't have opened my mouth.

"You're the one who asked for advice," she smirked. I just looked at her, waiting for the damn advice. "Just talk to him. And listen. Pay attention to what he has to say and ask him questions about himself. Look him in the eye. Laugh at his jokes. Touch him."

"That's it, seriously?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Just pay attention to him," she shrugged. "If he knows you think what he has to say is important he's going to listen to you, too." I picked apart my bread, pursing my lips for a moment. That did seem to make sense. "And don't forget to touch him. A lot." That just made me roll my eyes. "You're going to be awful at flirting, you know that, right?"

"Shut up," I snapped. "And I'm not trying to flirt."

"Whatever you say." Gisselle pressed her lips together in a tight little smile I wanted to slap right off her face.

That did nothing to help. As I followed Ryan to the bakery -- noting, interestingly enough, he was actually acknowledging Alina's existence today as they walked home -- I hadn't found any peace of mind. The kiss I caught Ryan plant on Alina's cheek, though, gave me plenty of ammunition to use. By the time Albion came downstairs to sit I had Ryan so worked up his ears were turning red.