Sliced Trees and Dead Words

20 - You finally succeeded in destroying him for good this time

- WOLFE -

Luna's not coping with this.

As much as I'm frustrated by her right now, I can't ignore the way her breathing grew so shallow that I thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen to her brain right there on Dalen's parents' front step. Or how her whole body stiffened to a rigidity that put the one I was able to cause in her whenever I touched her to shame when Dalen's mum opened the door. Or the panicky tone in which she apologised to Medusa and begged her to be on her best behaviour before anyone came out.

I placed my hand on her back as I thought it would be a lot more subtle and inconspicuous than if I were to grab hold of her hand to try to soothe her nerves. Or was it fury? I can't quite tell. In Luna they actually present much the same, as I've come to realise already, so it's hard to know for sure.

Her skin was warm and smooth, but grainy with the addition of the dehydrated sea salt from her swim earlier. When I woke up in the car and found her laying outside on her towel, her hair messier than before but disappointingly dry, I was actually a little devastated I had missed her walking out of the water; makeup gone, dripping wet and twisting the water out of her hair while wearing that cocktease of a black halter bikini.

But being able to just look at her for half an hour without having her rage at me for one thing or another was a worthy consolation . . . until, of course, she turned into a psychopath and lost her damn mind. I don't even know what happened. One second she was holding my hands and looking like she wanted to fuck me right there on the beach, and the next she looked like she wanted to cry as she murdered some woman walking past with her yappy dog. She hadn't even said anything to Luna, and she didn't lay a finger on Medusa that I could see. But Luna lost her shit and stormed off madder than I'd ever seen her.

I don't understand, but I'd put money on it involving how self-conscious she is with the way she was glaring the woman up and down. It was so pronounced I could see it even through her dark glasses, which she left behind in the car when we got out just before, the sun almost completely set by now. I can't tell what her face is saying right now seeing as I'm behind her, but I'm coming to be able to read her body well enough to guess it, and I know she needs to calm down, which is why my thumb is still tracing circles against the cute goosebumps all over her back.

Dalen's mum is already crying.

I saw the way her heart twisted when she looked at me and realised I wasn't him; then how her eyes sunk when she looked down at Luna and instinctively knew she wouldn't have come back here without a really important reason.

The knowing "no" she whispered before is still ringing in my ears as much as the unnatural silence did a few nights ago. I took a shaky breath and silently cursed Dalen for making Luna and I come here and do this. I probably should just be cursing myself because I think Luna might have been right in thinking this was a bad idea. It must be my canine instincts again. I just know this isn't going to end well.

"Hurry up, Grace. You're letting the cold in!" yelled someone from inside, their voice deep and gruff, and affected by a few beers if the slurring was anything to go by.

Grace looked like she was seriously considering whether she should lie to her husband that her son's two best friends weren't standing on her doorstep with the worst news imaginable. Well, she wasn't to know who the hell I was, but that's who Luna and I were regardless of that fact. Luna's head had dropped a few degrees southward with how distressed she was, so I figured it was my turn to step in and answer.

"Perhaps we should sit down inside?" I said, taking a step closer to Luna and feeling her sink into me a fraction as I removed my hand from her back and held it out to Grace. "I was the one to, um . . . I've been with Dale for the past few years." It was so hard to just come straight out and say what happened, but I guess I didn't need to because she seemed to know anyway, no matter how much I was stumbling over my words.