When Isaac refused to make eye contact with me as he pulled his light jacket on, the pieces fell into place. I didn’t say anything until we were well on our way to Apollo’s enclosure.
“So do I have to tip each of my babysitters or will you guys split it at the end of the day?”
Isaac sighed. “It’s not like that, Sawyer. And before you get your panties in a twist, you should know that this was our idea, not Jett’s. Yeah, he left the message about you not leaving the property alone but making sure someone was with you here at all times was our decision. Your family’s.”
He suddenly stopped walking and turned so he was facing me. “Do you have any idea what it felt like to stand at that fucking window last night hoping against hope that instead of heading to your car to escape that you’d come to the house to talk to us? We knew it was bad, Sawyer, but this…”
Isaac stepped forward as tears began to slip from his eyes. He gently placed one hand at my throat which I hadn’t even thought to try and cover before leaving Jett’s room.
“I know that saying it looks worse than it is won’t really help much but it’s true.” As I spoke, Isaac pushed himself into my arms. I sighed and whispered, “I’m sorry, Isaac. I never meant to hurt any of you. I don’t really know how to be part of a family, so you’re going to have to give me some lessons.”
“Deal,” Isaac responded with a sniffle. My friend pulled back from me and began wiping at his eyes which were heavily lined with eyeliner and even some mascara. “Thank God I started buying the waterproof stuff,” he said on a little laugh.
I studied Isaac as he put himself back to rights. He was wearing bright purple skintight pants that were dusted with glitter and sleek black leather boots that went above his knees. There looked to be a hint of fishnet stocking peeking out from the boots. His top was a little more laid back, but not by much. The material was sheer and nearly see-through. It looked like he had some kind of lace camisole shirt beneath the sheer top. Every part of the outfit was meant to showcase a woman’s body but damn if Isaac didn’t look amazing. While the younger man had always dressed a bit more risqué, his attire had subtly shifted to include more color and feminine accents over the past several months since he’d arrived in Pelican Bay.
I’d lived in Pelican Bay long enough to know that Isaac’s sense of style wouldn’t be appreciated in any sense of the word and yet I’d seen him go into town wearing the same exact clothes he wore while he was here. I’d never given much thought to the guts that took.
As Isaac turned away from me so we could continue walking, I grabbed his lower arm. I hated that my stomach felt like it was being twisted into dozens of tiny knots, but I ignored it.
“Nothing changes if nothing changes,” I murmured.
“What?” Isaac asked.
I shook my head and said, “It’s not important, but I do have a favor to ask.”
“Okay, shoot.”
I took Isaac’s hand in mine and then veered in the direction of my apartment which was just over the garage. He didn’t even hesitate to follow me up the stairs.
“Wow, it looks nice in here…” was all Isaac managed to get out as I dragged him through the main part of the space and to my bedroom. I dropped his hand and continued into the bathroom. I rummaged around the drawers for what I was looking for. I could see Isaac watching me curiously in my peripheral vision, but I was glad that he didn’t try and get me to explain what I was looking for. When my fingers closed around the box that ended up being at the back of the lower cabinet, I flinched at the word that went off in my head like a cannon.
Don’t.
Spoken in Marcus’s voice.
I actually jerked up and scanned the bedroom to make sure the man wasn’t truly in the room.
“Sawyer?” Isaac asked with concern.
“I, um, have been hanging on to this for a while. I’ve been telling myself I didn’t need to use it because it would grow back pretty fast on its own, but that’s bullshit because I kept dying it brown even after I left. I guess it was like a safety net or something.” I automatically ran my hand through my hair. “I know it’s just hair and it’s stupid but when I look in the mirror, I don’t know who I see and sometimes that feels easier…”
“Hey, Sawyer, slow down and take a breath for me,” Isaac said. His hands were curled around my upper arms and he’d forced me back against the bathroom vanity, presumably so I’d have something to support me if I needed it.