Her Safe Haven

Chapter 14 - How The Rumour Mill Started

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love holidays.

Previously on Her Safe Haven: Rohan didn't know how to feel about his encounter with Winter in the Mental Institution. He was glad that he would have someone to talk to, but he was also wary that this might create unpleasant rumours for them. After their sessions, Rohan brought Winter to see the hospital's roof, which was also his "sanctuary" in the Institution. Winter found  a cut on Rohan's forearm, but hesitated to treat the cut as she remembered him snapping away from her touch (Chapter 9). As she treated the cut, Rohan revealed that he had haphephobia and insomnia because when he was four, his uncle tried to kill him in his sleep but in self-defence he ended up accidentally killing his uncle instead. They both enjoyed each other's company and were looking forward to meeting each other the next week.

It was one of those days that promised rain. The grey and black clouds were accumulated as a giant mess in the sky, and now and then lightning flashed silent but dangerously across the distance and into the horizon.

The sky seemed to have been in this state for quite a while now, holding its precipitate, and causing the air to be extremely humid that the skin of a girl standing under it couldn't help but let out perspiration of its own. The girl wiped a bead of sweat that had escaped onto her forehead, threatening to sting her eyes, with the back of her hand. She prayed silently that they wouldn't be trapped in any thunderstorm.

'What time is it?' she signed to her companion, who, despite seeing the girl's usual tranquil expression could tell that she was getting annoyed.

"Thirty minutes to five," he answered, glancing slightly at his watch without taking his attention off her, "they should be here soon."

'Well, they're still late,' she gestured curtly. Irritated, she pouted at the scene in front of her and again wiped the sweat that was already forming on her head and neck, this time with the sleeve of her blouse.

He silently chuckled at her childish impatience and slowly grazed his fingers to hers, interlacing them like feather. "They'll be here soon," he promised.

Then she turned to look at his eyes that had never left her since the beginning of their talk. Again it was one of those moments when they would have these silent conversations with their eyes; when they would not know yet somehow understood what the other was thinking.

"I don't understand this," he suddenly whispered, his eyes ghosting from hers to her lips, then back to her eyes again.

She raised her head, her hand in his, and without a worry in the world. 'Hmm?'

"This," he repeated, raising their linked hands to show her, "I don't understand it at all. How you make me feel. How you affect my way of thinking. When I'm with you it's like you're a mystery on its own — and I don't understand you but I can't seem to get enough of it."

'Then don't,' she released his hand to make the gesture, locking his eyes, '...don't try to understand it. Some things are more beautiful if they are left unknown.'

And he sighed in an almost relief — not because she had answered his curiosity, but because she was just here.

...

Later on when she woke up, Winter wondered why she would dream such audacious things about the youngest son of the Garrison family.

+++

There were many things in this life that confused Rohan.

Like politics, for example, and how law seemed to be a system that protected only the majority and those in power; but never mind all those big controversies like politics, racism, and economy.