Page 106 of Change

Miles and Julian were staring at Finn, eyes wide and surprise thick in the air.

I hated him! So much that even though something in his words pulled at me, something familiar that someone else said recently, I couldn’t quite place it at the moment.

All I could recall was those words that first tore at my heart. What had solidified the breaking of my trust.

He’d said it to Julian the day he’d somehow harmed me with his abilities, then Julian had sent him scampering away.

‘She’s my problem.’

And that was how he’d always seen me.

Not a friend, but an obligation.

“Ihateyou!” I snatched the ice pack from Julian’s hands, and Finn blurred in my vision. The only indication that he was affected by my words was the way his leg suddenly stopped moving. But he didn’t even look at me, his gaze was stubbornly set to the wall.

And with that I fled from the room, ignoring both Julian and Miles’s attempts to call me back.

The creak of the window opening disturbed my almost silent sniffles. I didn’t even have to look to know who it was. No one else would have dared bother me out here. They pretended not to notice the way I crawled onto the roof to be alone, and I never discussed it with them, in turn.

There was only one individual—besides Damen—who’d risk interrupting my private time.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him, not turning my attention from the dusky skyline.

The sky was streaked with watercolors of red, orange, and purple, and the white, round, moon was already high in the sky. There were no clouds, and the temperature was already dropping quickly. It was only due to the crocheted blanket I’d grabbed from the foot of my bed that I wasn’t freezing.

“I need to talk to you. Can I sit down?” Then Finn sat, anyway, without waiting for a response. “Please?” he asked, like it mattered now after he’d already made himself comfortable.

I sighed, my usual ire missing at his presence. I was growing tired of this, and it was becoming more difficult to muster the effort to care.

Besides, this was the umpteenth time he’d come to me with this line and, unless I finally gave in, it would probably not be the last. I might as well just get it over with.

I guess persistence really did pay off.

“What do you want?”

“I know you hate me, but you can’t avoid me forever. I’m still an officer. It’ll just be for a…” he started, then paused, sucking in a breath. His shoulders tightened, and he touched the bridge of his glasses. “What?”

“You’ve been trying to talk to me for ages,” I clarified. “I’m ready to listen.”

Finn blinked and lowered his hand back to his side, pressing his palm flat against the roof. “Oh.” He looked away and tapped his finger against the rough tiles. “Well…”

His words trailed off and his voice was rougher when he spoke next, “Give me a moment.”

I stared at him in annoyance.

Give him a moment? How many more moments did he need? He’d been the one harping about this for weeks!

“Don’t look at me like that!” Finn’s shoulders tensed and his mouth dipped; still, he was unable to look me in the eyes. “I was expecting you to ignore this talk for another six months at least.”

Really, though?

“You can see the future,” I pointed out. “You had to know this would happen at some point.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” Finn was frowning at his feet. “Especially not with you.”

I lifted my temples from my knees, my interest piqued. “What do you mean?”

He clenched his jaw, voice tight. “I knew you’d hate me, but that was about it.”