Sun Kissed by J.K. Rock

Chapter Four

Trinity 

Seth was acting really weird.

I was worried about him, actually. His aura was doing funny things today, flashing from hints of yellow— which was the color he always used to be— to dark, dank brown. Brown hinted at his confusion and some frustration I didn't fully understand. And just now, there were red flashes in the mix around his head. What was going on with him?

Gently, I moved closer the same way I would a nervous animal. I mean... he really looked freaked.

"We were talking about the gazebo and my art." I put a hand on his arm, to steady him and share my energy.

"I'm fine. And yeah." He nodded quickly, swallowed hard. "I remember. You want to contribute to the gazebo."

"I won't get in your way, and if I know when you'll be here, I can work at different times." I wanted to be accommodating. Non-threatening. Something had really rattled Seth, not just today, but since the last time I'd seen him. It was definitely more than just Lauren breaking up with him. It'd been almost a year. "Whatever you want, but I'd really like to work on some artistic touches. My art adviser at school told me I need some more," I made air quotes, "'relevant and relatable' work for my portfolio. Like people don't relate to dragons and unicorns? Puh-lease."

Seth frowned, but his lips quirked at the corners first, as if fighting back his old, sexy pirate's smile. "I— uh— see your point." He cleared his throat, and this time he did give a small grin, his chipped canine tooth making an appearance. Wow, had I missed seeing it. All at once, I remembered a lot of happy times at camp. Happy times he'd been a part of. "That sucks, Trinity. And sorry if I've been a jerk. I came back here to get away from crap back home, and I'm not really...I don't know. I'm not up to hanging out."

Seeing shades of his old self made me want to hug him. But I needed to hide those old feelings and act normal so I didn't send him running. I couldn't stand it if I saw pity in his eyes again like that night at the camp bonfire last summer, where my crush on him had been revealed to everyone. He might never feel about me the way I'd once felt about him. And right now, I just really, really wanted the chance to be his friend again.

"That's okay. I'm sorry your summer's been bad." I leaned back against a birch tree, glad to be in this beautiful place to get inspired. Could I paint this spot on canvas, I wondered? It's funny how, even in my mind's eye, I could almost see the dance of lacy butterfly wings as tiny fae creatures. How could I change my art if it meant changing how I viewed the world?

"My mom came home." He folded his arms across his chest as he tipped one shoulder into the same tree that I leaned on.

Everyone in Munchies Manor knew Seth's history with his mom. We'd always thought it was amazing that a guy who'd been abandoned by his mother as a preschooler could still turn out so sweet and caring.

Or at least, he always had been before. He'd been the leader of the Wander Inn pack, the guy everyone wanted to be friends with. He had that Aquarian knack for mediating disputes while leading by example.

"That's not a good thing?" I asked, lulled by the music of the falls nearby and the deep tone of Seth's voice.

"No." His answer was quick and fierce. "She left over a decade ago and didn't look back except for a handful of times that she went into rehab and got clean. But it never lasted. And after you fall for that a few times, you learn not to be an idiot."

"Oh, Seth." I shook my head, not sure what to say and definitely not wanting him to see that I felt sorry for him. I knew how much it stung to see pity in someone else's eyes. "That sucks."