Page 23 of Eye of the Hurricane (Weathering Doves Harbor #2)

Ares

“Thank you all for making it to our first lecture! It would be nothing short of amazing if you all continue attending,” Vines announces to the entire lecture hall. A few lighthearted laughs ring out. Chatter picks up for a moment before she raises her hand and silence falls over everyone.

“Before you all head out, I’ll address the elephant in the room.

I’m sure you’ve all seen Tropical Storm Celine on the news.

Everyone wants to know if class will be canceled.

As of right now, we aren’t projected to be hit at all.

If that changes, classes will be canceled.

I wouldn’t expect more than a day for a category one. Any questions?”

“When will we know?” Someone in one of the front rows asks. The question strikes me as odd for a moment until I remember that about half of our students aren’t actually from here.

“Landfall isn’t projected until end of week. The closer it gets, the more we’ll know. I’ll keep you all updated, so keep an eye on your email.”

Class wraps up and I find myself wandering around campus, hoping I might run into a favorite blonde of mine. She’s nowhere to be found, though, which makes sense. I’m sure she’s wrapped up in the athletics building all day.

So I head home. The second I walk in the door, my mom calls to me from the couch, asking me to come see her.

“You’ve barely been home, is everything alright?” she asks, a look of genuine worry on her face.

“Yeah, I’m okay, Mom. I’ve just been spending some time at Audra and Roman’s place or with Katherine,” I explain.

Her mouth upturns and her eyes tell me she thinks she knows something.

“Is Katherine your girlfriend?” she asks. I consider lying just to see if I can pull it off now.

“No, it’s complicated,” I huff.

She chuckles.

“I remember your brother telling me that things were complicated between him and Audra not too long ago.” She reaches for her wine glass on the side table next to us and takes a sip.

“Beck said the same thing.”

“So you talked to Beck about her?”

“Well, we were all camping together,” I explain. She tilts her head to the side, smirk growing.

“Oh? She went on the camping trip with you all? And where did she sleep?”

I know when my mom is getting at something. This is one of those times.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. She slept in my tent. We aren’t dating though,” I relent.

“If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…” She trails off with a pointed look.

I can’t tell my mom why it looks like something it’s not, because I can’t tell her we’re hooking up with no strings attached. She’s my mom . And without that piece, the rest seems like a cover story when we’re clearly not just going on fake dates anymore.

“I’ll let you know if something changes,” I tell her.

“Just don’t miss out on a good thing by chalking it up to being too complicated.” She doesn’t know that I’m not missing out on a single thing. I’m soaking Katherine up every single day. The moment I think she’s ready for the real thing, I’m all hers.

“I won’t.” I’ve always felt a wave of relief coming home for the first time after a trip. Vacations are fun but home is… home. This time feels different. The relief never comes, I feel like I have somewhere else to be.

Ares

Want to do something tonight?

Katherine

Bad day. Can’t.

Ares

Want me to come over and help you unwind?

Katherine

No. I need to focus.

Ares

Talk to me?

Katherine

Can’t. Busy.

There’s a weight in my chest telling me it’s more than just a bad day. It’s a small brush-off, nothing serious. But it feels like she’s pulling away all the same. I go about my day, trying not to dwell or let my fears speak for her. If she wants space, I need to hear it from her.

“I didn’t realize when I bought a house for Audra and me that it came with two roommates,” Roman calls from the other side of the pool deck.

“You should have. We warned you,” Ravyn responds. Roman reaches for the blow-up beach ball next to him and tosses it at her. She swims to the edge of the pool and splashes him.

“Hey! No splashing, I’m painting,” I scold. Ravyn rolls her eyes.

“What are you painting?” Audra asks from her pool raft. I take a long look at the blank canvas.

“Well, nothing yet. I’m trying to paint,” I correct myself.

“Still having trouble with inspiration?”

“Sometimes. It comes and goes.” I don’t tell them that the only pieces I’ve actually been proud of lately involve Katherine. I don’t know what it means and I can’t think too far into it.

“You said you showed a piece to Professor Vines and it was the kind of emotion she was looking for, right?” Ravyn asks.

“Yeah. I definitely feel like I’m closer to the right track. It’s just knowing what to make,” I sigh.

“Show us the piece she approved of,” Ravyn demands. The girls are both hanging on the edge of the pool below me, looking at me with expectant eyes .

“There’s two,” I tell them. I pull my phone from my pocket and hold up each image. First, the photograph of Katherine fast asleep, peacefully lying there with a yellow hazy beam cast over her.

Next, the painting I made at the campsite. This one also features Katherine, lying in a field of orange and yellow flowers with a golden sunrise behind her. It’s bright, sunshine incarnate. Just like her.

“Wow, they’re gorgeous!” Audi gushes.

“This is seriously some of your best work,” Ravyn agrees.

“Thank you.”

“Seriously?” Roman cuts in, making his way closer to us. “We’re going to ignore that Katherine is at the center of both of these?”

“I was going to, yeah,” Ravyn says with a laugh. “I know he knows,” she says, pointing a finger at me.

“Have you considered just painting her again? It seems to be your strong suit,” Audra suggests.

“I can’t make her my entire portfolio.”

“Okay… What about things that remind you of her?”

Clear blue skies melted into a burning sunset and now into a glittering navy sky. I haven’t stepped away from the easel aside from Ravyn and Audra forcing me to step away to eat.

What was a blank canvas is now rippling waves lathered in golden bands of a setting sun. The deep blue waves have shiny yellow caps on them. There’s something inherently serene about the painting.

Roman and Audra’s house is perfect for looking over the ocean while I paint.

Although, I can think of quieter places to paint.

That’s mostly Ravyn’s fault, though. She’s gone through the many phases of watching not-so-quietly over my shoulder, blaring music while she relaxes on a lounger, begging me to get in the pool, and telling Audra to force me to get in.

She’s truly like the sister I never had. Her and Audra both.

Now Audra, Roman, and Ravyn are all inside watching some movie. They asked if I wanted to join them but I was too focused on finishing my work, not wanting to lose my flow.

Now finished, I get out my phone and call Katherine. The line rings for so long I think she’s not going to answer. But at the last second, she does.

“Hello?”

Her voice is low and worn. It’s clear to me immediately that something is wrong. It’s all I’ve got not to jump in my car and drive to her right away. It has me standing to pace the deck as we speak.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

There’s a heavy sigh before she speaks.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Do you want me to stop by?” I offer.

There’s a shake in her breath. The cool ocean breeze whips past me, causing me to shiver.

“I don’t have time,” she says, voice wobbling. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know this isn’t like her. I know I don’t fucking like it.

“I’ll be in and out,” I offer .

Several beats of silence pass before she finally speaks again.

“I think…” she trails off and takes a gulp of air. “I think we need space.” It’s a knife to the chest. It shouldn’t be. This is fake. So why does this feel like a very real breakup?

For a moment, I’m sucked into a whirlwind of racing thoughts and a million questions. It takes me a second to get my feet back on the ground to be able to focus on the call.

“What’s going on?” I ask. Because things have been good. Perfect, even. This doesn’t make any sense.

“Ares, I really don’t want to talk about it. I just want space. Can I have space?” she asks, sounding exhausted.

The sound of strain in her voice tugs at the strings of my heart.

Deep down, I know something isn’t right. I know this isn’t a conclusion she came to out of nowhere. Something clearly happened. But, it’s not my place to push her boundaries. If she’s placing them, I’ll respect them.

“Yeah, of course. If that’s what you want.”

In my mind, I’m begging her to change her mind. Or at the very least, tell me what’s going on. Things have been so perfect, she’s been having so much fun.

“It’s what I want.”

The quiet, worn-down way she speaks guts me. I don’t know how we got here. I can’t wrap my head around what changed between now and when I left her house this morning.

“I guess I’ll let you go, then. Have a good night, Kat,” I say.

“Goodnight, Ares.”

And with that, the line clicks off. I don’t know what changed, when I’ll talk to her again, or how much space she needs .

I stare at the screen, then glance into the house, seeing my loved ones all happy and content on the couch. It feels like there’s a cinder block on my chest.

Audra must feel my stare because she spots me through the window and steps away to meet me on the deck.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, like it’s not even a question of if there’s something wrong.

“I don’t know,” I sigh. She snorts a laugh.

“You wanna try that again? You look like a lost puppy out here.”

“I just got off the phone with Katherine.”

She gives me a sympathetic look and takes a seat on one of the chairs. She gestures for me to sit in the one across from her.

“What happened?” she asks. Fuck if I know.

“I don’t even totally know. She just randomly told me we needed space,” I huff, dropping into the seat across from her.

“Is it possible nothing is wrong and she really does just want some space?” Audra is always the voice of reason.

“Maybe? I don’t know. It really seemed like something was wrong. She sounded like she was fighting back tears when she was saying it,” I tell her.

“Did something happen at the campgrounds?”

“Nothing bad,” I tell her.

“Anything good?”

“Well… We messed around in the tent if that’s relevant.” She laughs.

“What’s so funny?” I pout.

“I’m sure you don’t want to hear this but the first time something like that happened with me and your brother, I ran.

Not metaphorically, either. No, I ran from him and had Ravyn pick me up.

I never told her why. I had all these fears.

Sometimes a good thing is just as scary as a bad one if you’re not used to it. ”

“You think that might be it?” I ask.

“I definitely think it’s possible. No one knows but Katherine. You’ve gotta talk to her, but you have to give her space first,” Audra tells me.

“It’s hard.”

“I know. Sometimes people just want to know they could have space if they wanted it. Might not last as long as you’re worried it will,” she says, standing and giving my hair a ruffle before leaving me alone on the deck with the darkening night.