“Anne, wait up.”
He caught up to her so swiftly, blocking her path but not touching her. They stepped away from each other, but she stopped walking. Looking at him was another thing altogether as regret pulsed inside her. But he didn’t leave, and she felt him observing her thoroughly.
“When you say family, did you mean parents and siblings? A clan?”
The raw question had her chest squeezing and she considered lying to make things easy. But it hurt her to fool this man any further.
“No.” Then, “Not just them.”
The memories of an innocent giggle and a deep laugh fluttered in.
“A lover…no, husband,” he guessed. At her nod, his jaw clenched. He perused her some more before his eyes widened. “A child.”
It hurt hearing it from someone else, but like before, the hurt was no longer an open wound that easily bled. She nodded once more and watched him rear back as if slapped. She braced herself for the anger and was taken aback when he didn’t blow up.
Nico just kept perusing as if she was a puzzle he wanted to figure out. Something clicked on his features.
“Had. Not have.” His mouth parted. “You lost them.”
It wasn’t a question, but she nodded, anyway. The rest lay heavy on her chest until it found its way out. “All of them.”
“Shit.” He went slack. “I’m sorry.”
Compassion swirled in his eyes, confusing her.
“How long ago?”
“Three years.”
“So, you haven’t been with anyone since…?”
“A mistake. I’m sorry.”
The compassion was still there but toned down as he realized just how much he was being rejected. Still, there was no anger from Nico, only tension from the overload of information. She watched him swallow it all in before he nodded.
“I see.”
Just those two words, but she understood when she was being given leeway.
Anne took it and walked away once more. This time, he didn’t follow.
***
“So, where’s Daria?”
“I don’t know.”
“She’s your best friend, and you don’t know?”
Anne listened to the back and forth between Charlie and Peachy, who were lounging around the western forest edge with her. It was a quiet area save for their mumbling tones, which weren’t all that bad. They weren’t that bad, either.
“So, what if she’s my best friend? I don’t take notes over where she is at every second of the day. Were you and Michael like that?”
“Hell, no. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“Why are you surprised?”
“I thought today was…never mind.”