Page 27 of Isolation

However, I did come here earlier today to set something up.

“Why are we here?” Raven asks quietly. Her body language is changing. I know what she is worried about, but that’s not why I brought her here.

This outing is triggered by anincidentthat took place days after Tessa’s downward spiral. I have been concerned about Raven ever since.

I am determined to find a way for us to live amicably at that house. I am not capable of leaving Raven alone, so we have to find a middle ground, some sort of compromise.

I think Raven has come to the same realization.

I move to the terrace door and open it, motioning for her to go outside. Raven walks out, and her gaze lands on the table in front of us. There is a small table on the terrace, with a dinner set for two.

“Do you remember that fusion restaurant we went to when you were younger?”

Raven scrunches her face. “Vaguely. We went to lots of restaurants when I was younger.”

“Yes, but you should remember this one in particular,” I raise an eyebrow. “You waited for months for the reservation. You wanted to try all the desserts because a world-renowned pastry chef was making a guest appearance. But the wait time for dessert was ridiculous. Mia, Reid, and I were not in the mood to wait, so we left. You looked like you were ready to kill all of us.”

“I remember,” Raven smiles sadly at the memory. “I was so annoyed at you guys. I can’t believe you couldn’t wait for ten minutes for dessert.”

I start laughing at Raven’s version of the story. “Umm… I think you remember it incorrectly. It was more like a forty-five-minute wait for dessert.”

“Whatever!” She rolls her eyes but finally cracks a warm smile.

“Well! We happen to have a meal made up of desserts prepared by that same pastry chef.”

“What?” Raven blinks.

“The chef from that restaurant. He lives in New York now. I contacted him and asked him if he could prepare some pastries for us. He is not currently working, so he didn’t refuse the offer. I had someone pick up the desserts from his house and drop it off here.”

She looks back and forth between the table and then at me.

“I know you would much rather eat desserts than a real meal,” I try to tease when Raven doesn’t say anything.

“What are you doing?” she finally mumbles.

Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for. “Rave, this is just a gesture. I was hoping it would make you happy.”

Raven doesn’t respond. She doesn’t look angry, nor does she look happy. Her face is completely neutral. Raven finally breaks the awkward silence.

“You must understand why this gesture makes me uncomfortable,” she motions towards the table. “You are doing this so I’d go along with the fabrication you told our families about us being together,” Raven speaks in a shockingly honest and direct voice. “This gesture is an exchange for something you want, but that defeats the purpose. A gesture should be unconditional; no strings attached. This has strings attached. This is a tainted effort.”

“You are half correct. I told our parents my truth. They made their own assumptions about our relationship.”

Ever since the focus has shifted to Tessa, Raven hasn’t bothered to correct or address our relationship, nor has anyone asked us about it. There are currently more pressing matters at the house.

“Thisisa gesture to make you happy, but I also wanted to give you the opportunity to speak openly. I was hoping you’d feel comfortable if we were away from the family drama.”

“What would you like to talk about?” Raven’s voice remains apprehensive.

I get it. She has no reason to trust me. But if I make my case using logic, I know she will understand. Logic has always resonated with her.

“Look, Rave. We have to live in close quarters for the time being. I don’t want us to be miserable the whole time. And after thatincidentthe other night, it’s pretty clear that we have to find a middle ground. Moving forward, I want things to be different between us.”

“How so?”

“I can make an effort to change to make you comfort—”

“You can’t change,” Raven states it as finality in a matter-of-fact kind of way.