Page 90 of The Triangle

“Yes,” I say.

I’m not really sure about anything right now.

“Because you look troubled. Are you troubled?”

I huff out a laugh. He takes both my hands in his and looks down on me with a small smile.

“I was born troubled.”

His smile grows a little bigger. “Yes, weren’t we all? But that’s not what I’m asking.”

“What’s going on?”

We both turn to find Danny coming down the glass hallway towards us. Wearing jeans, but shirtless. Skull tattoos on his chest still glistening with random drops of water. His blond hair wet and dark, making his blue eyes that much bluer.

“I think Christine needs to see a doctor.”

“What?” Danny and I say at the same time.

“What’s wrong? Are you OK?” Now Danny is worried. And when he reaches me his hands stretch out and pull me into him.

“I’m fine,” I say, wriggling a little in his embrace. Because Alec is still holding my hands and the whole moment suddenly feels… stifling.

“She’s still missing memories,” Alec says.

Danny looks up at Alec, frowns, then back down at me.

“I’m fine,” I insist. “I swear. I mean, shit. I just woke up from a major head injury a couple days ago. And most of my memory is back, it’s totally normal for parts to still be missing.”

But inside I know this is wrong. I feel like the triangle. The sides are unequal, the dynamic is out of equilibrium. There are questions begging to be answered, and an emptiness begging to be filled.

And with this revelation I feel tired. And my head really begins to pound. “I just have a headache, that’s all.” At last I have something to say that’s true.

“I’m going to ring a doctor,” Alec says.

“No,” I say, pulling away from them both. “No, I just need to lie down. And take some aspirin. Rest,” I say. “That’s all I need. It’s been a crazy couple of days.”

“And food,” Danny says, going with it. “You go lie down. We’ll make a meal and call you when it’s ready.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I think I’ll do that.”

I turn away from them, acutely aware that they are still watching me. I don’t even know where I’m going or which bedroom I should sleep in. Danny came from the other direction but it’s too late now, I’m headed this way across the glass hallway that thinks it’s a bridge and I have this overpowering desire to get away for some reason. So I don’t turn back, I just keep going.

There are windowless steps at the end of the glass hallway. Just half a flight that takes me up to another level of the house. One side is a wall filled with black and white nature photographs. Aspen trees and snow-capped mountains. The other is a wall of windows looking out over the lake, but with a slightly more elevated view than the one down in the great room.

I think about what Alec said outside earlier. About staying here. It confused me. He’s really not the kind of guy who hides away. Or lives in a secluded mountain compound protected by a wall. But there was something in his voice. Longing, maybe?

Maybe I was rude? Maybe I was too quick to dismiss the idea? Maybe we could make a fresh start out here in the middle of nowhere?

I stop and look over my shoulder. Should I go back and tell him that?

But I hear the familiar sound of cupboards being opened and closed as they search for food. A low rumble of male conversation.

No. They need some time together. Just the two of them. Danny has come a long way in a very short period of time, but I know him so well, I can sense some underlying hesitation. They need to come to some sort of understanding if we’re all going to be together.

I turn back and keep walking across the narrow room, which I now realize is an art gallery, and climb yet another half-flight of stairs that leads to another hallway, this time windowless.

What a weird house.