My eyes hold hers as my thumb brushes her jawline.
“Talk to me, Princess. What’s going on in your head?”
She remains silent, the rise and fall of her chest increasing.
“I don’t… I don’t trust you, Seb,” she states coldly. “I can’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth.”
“That’s fair,” I say, despite the pain that radiates from my chest.
Yes, I’ve hurt her. Yes, I’ve lied to her. But I’ve sure as hell put more effort into protecting her than I did any of that.
Silence falls around the house as we continue to stare at each other, the coffee machine long finished, the smell of the beans mixing with her mouth-watering scent.
“Did you have any plans for the rest of the day?” I ask, swallowing down my need to say anything about what she told me earlier. There’s no point in me trying to convince her that she can trust me when all I’ve done is prove otherwise. That’s something she’s going to have to figure out on her own, even if it kills me.
She shakes her head. “I think we’re just hanging out at Harley’s later. They haven’t let me do anything fun since I arrived.” She rolls her eyes at their overprotectiveness.
“You’ve got good friends, Princess.”
“Yeah,” she agrees, finally moving herself from my hold and putting another mug in the machine. “Here.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking it from her and stealing her place at the counter.
Silence once again falls between us, but it’s not uncomfortable.
“Will you do something for me?” I ask once she’s got her own coffee and pulled out one of the seats at the table.
She glances over, hesitation filling her eyes.
“Take me to your favourite place here.”
Her lips part, but no words find their way out for the longest time.
“My favourite place?” she asks, a deep frown forming on her brows.
“Yeah, the place you’d go when shit got too much.”
“Like the graveyard?”
“Y-yeah, but maybe somewhere a little less depressing.”
“Only you could have a happy place full of dead people.”
“Hellion, that place is anything but happy for me.”
Regret passes over her face. “Right. Sorry,” she says on a wince.
She sips on her coffee, and my need to be closer to her gets the better of me. I pull out the chair next to her and drop down, ensuring my leg brushes hers under the table.
“Seb,” she breathes.
My heart slams in my chest as I stare at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’s too calm after her nap.
“I’m… I’m sorry about whatever went down between our fathers. I’m sorry you lost yours so early. That’s not fair. But none of that is my fault.”
I nod, knowing that she’s right.
“There is so much bullshit surrounding my life. I just… I really need this—” she gestures between the two of us, “to stop.”