AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My icy rock?
It just melted for her.
Her son is a brute!
My crush has vanished.
TWELVE
Willow
We have free time between morning yoga and the two meals, breakfast and lunch. I take advantage of it by going out into the fields with my camera. It's a beautiful day, just enough clouds to cut the bite of heat. Just when the sun is too much a cloud will cover it and grant me a delicious respite. Wild flowers become my subject. Magenta, yellow, violet, I capture one by one. In a lavender sundress, its length an impediment, I stroll amid the tall grass. It’s so beautiful here, I feel like I am moving in a painting. Quiet. Until I hear Ben call out behind me, "Willow!"
My heart jumps, and I turn around to see him approaching, the Sunflower house his backdrop. A cloud moves out of the way to ignite his forest green eyes. “Can I talk to you for a second?"
"That depends."
He frowns, “On?"
"On whether or not you're tired of picking up women and hauling them out of here. I kind of like it and I want to stay.”
His frown deepens and then he sees that I'm joking, a relaxed laugh softening his face. "At least you can have a sense of humor about it."
"Well, I'm not really sure what ‘it’ is, but if you can't have a sense of humor then life can get really hard."
He nods, inspecting me introspectively. "I just wanted to explain."
"It's really none of my business."
He points to my camera. "You're a photographer?"
"I wish," I smile.
He frowns again. “What do you do for a living?"
"Weren't you going to explain something to me?”
"Then you said you didn't want me to drag you out of here."
I stare at him, my turn to realize he's joking, and laugh. We don't say anything for a few seconds and it feels like the world is suspended. My heart is beating so hard that I have to remind myself he is married. I clear my throat, straighten my shoulders and ask, “What is it you wanted to tell me?"
"Mom said she refunded everyone's trip. I just wanted to apologize for…” He runs a hand through his hair, looking up at a cloud as it affords us momentary shade, dropping his hand to say, “…everything.”
"It's really none of my business. I mean that. I know nothing about being married, but whatever you guys are into is your business."
His head cocks to the side. “You think I'm into that?"
"I have no idea what you're into and like I said…"
"… It's none of your business."
"Right."
He blinks. “What did my Ex say to you?"
Ex!
Silently, I reproach myself and keep steady. “We didn't really have a lot of time to talk. And I'm not really sure that it matters."
