Sweet Dandelion

Sage takes several gulps of OJ, looking at the avocado toast and eggs I got from the restaurant in the building.

“This looks good.” His voice is crackly and he winces, rubbing his eyes.

“It’s because I didn’t make it,” I joke, giving him a soft smile.

My lower lip begins to tremble as I look at him. I knew if he ever found out about Lachlan and me it would hurt him, but I didn’t realize how badly it would make me feel. I don’t like breaking my brother’s heart. I don’t want him to look at me any differently.

“Hey,” he says softly, pinching my lip lightly. “No crying.”

I try to smile but the tears come, spilling over.

He gathers me in his arms, resting his chin on top of my head. He rubs one hand gently on my back, blowing out a breath.

“We can go to the cops today.”

I stiffen in his arms, shoving him away. “I’m not going to the cops.”

He looks at me horrified. “Dani—this man took advantage of you. He deserves to be in jail.”

I shake my head. “Don’t do this. You don’t know anything about the situation.”

He narrows his eyes on me. “Did you have sex with him?” I’m silent. “Then I know all I need to.”

Anger surges through my veins. “No, you don’t know! I’m a good person, I’ve always been pretty level-headed, and I’m nineteen. You should know me well enough to know I wouldn’t be coerced into something I didn’t want to do. Lachlan and I…” I close my eyes, breathing out. “We struggled, okay, especially him because of his position, but the feelings happened and I don’t regret them or him. Falling in love with him reminded me how good it is to be alive. He saved me. Can’t you see that?”

My brother looks like I’ve punched him in the chest.

“I’m supposed to protect you.”

“And you do. But love is love. I need you to be on my side of this. School’s almost over and I promise you Lachlan didn’t do anything to me that I didn?

?t want. I…” I look down at my nude colored nails, still painted for prom. “Lachlan is a good man, and even though I’m so fucking angry at him right now, I still love him.”

“He’s gone, D,” he whispers. “He left you to deal with this fallout. Look what the kids at school are saying.”

“I know.” I wipe tears from my cheeks. “But I’m not vindictive and I won’t ruin his life because he’s broken my heart.”

Sage opens his mouth to say more, but I get up and walk to my room. I need to be by myself right now.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I look out the window in my bedroom to the street below, all the tiny heads of the people moving from one place to the next.

Somewhere, out there, is Lachlan.

He could be down the street, or a county away, he could also be a state away, or a whole country.

I don’t know.

Reaching up, I touch the wind chimes. They brush against each other, making music.

“I wish you were here, Mom.”

If I pretend hard enough, I can make out her voice saying, I wish I was too.

Chapter Sixty-Four

The painting in front of me is abstract. A random swirl of black, red, and purple on white. But I see nothing. My heart and mind are too empty to see any kind of image in the madness.

A body steps up beside mine. Tall, warm, familiar.