Page 84

Story: Seeing Red

I cupped the side of her face, prompting her to turn her head and kiss my palm. “I would kiss you, but…morning breath.”

She laughed at her own words. A minute passed and confusion briefly flitted over her features until that sparkle in her eye returned.

“Hmm. I thought I fell asleep in Greyson’s room after writing.”

“You did. We’re in Greyson’s bed.”

True looked over her shoulder at Greyson’s empty spot and looked back at me with a wrinkle in her forehead. “What did I miss?”

“You had a nightmare…or something last night. Greyson came to get me when he couldn’t wake you up.”

More confusion made True’s face fall before she lifted herself up on her elbow and looked around the room. “Sorry. I don’t remember.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Red. Sometimes my sleep is fucked up too.”

She sat up against the headboard, pulling her knees to her chest. “That hasn’t happened since my sister first passed. My mom slept in my bed with me for a month straight when she noticed. But I never remembered the dreams when I woke up.”

I sat up too, meeting her gaze.

“What was I saying? Could you understand me?”

“Uh, yea. I think you were dreaming about your twin. You kept saying her name.”

True grimaced and I wanted to rewind time and go back to the hug we shared when she first woke up, but she was guarding herself. Knees to her chest. Arms folded on top of them. And her chin tucked into her neck. There was no way in.

“Well, thank you for being there.” A somber silence took over the room before True’s tone was bright again. “Wait. What time is it? Where’s Greyson?”

“It’s a little before 8. And Greyson already left.”

“What? Why?” It was impossible to miss the hurt in her voice.

Clearing my throat, I fumbled through my thoughts to try to make an excuse. “He?—”

“We were supposed to have breakfast together. I promised to wake up early so I could see him before he left and we were gonna…”

She stopped herself, shaking her head.

Pain pierced through me at the rejected look on her face. I knew the puzzle pieces were clicking in place in her head and leading her to one conclusion.

Greyson left because of her.

True let out a shaky breath, running her hands through her hair. “I’m gonna go get dressed at the cabin.”

“Wait, I’ll have breakfast with you, True. We can go to The Sleeping Owl. You can order whatever you want. Didn’t you tell me you liked their pancakes?”

True gave me a sad smile and all the warmth I felt earlier left me in a heartbeat.

“It’s okay, Noah. I’ll go to my grandma’s early. I’m gonna go to physical therapy with her today. I’ll just have breakfast at her house.”

Her voice was soft but firm. So I nodded and climbed out of Greyson’s bed behind her.

“Then I’ll drive you there. I think it’s gonna snow later today and you don’t need to be stuck down the mountain in your car if that happens.”

She looked like she wanted to protest, but nodded before disappearing in the bathroom while I made up the bed.

An hour later, I stopped just inside Greyson’s open office door at the resort and looked at the stack of boxes after I pulled the dolly from under them. “What’s all this? Do I need to put something together?” I asked before I ever looked at him.

Duchess was in the corner, playing with a toy she didn’t have yesterday.