In.
Out.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
The music stirred me back to life as all the energy drained from me. I concentrated on my breathing again until all I could hear were the waves. After a few moments, Ian spoke up.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What triggered it? The noise? Fighting with me?”
“Yes, that or the fact that I’ve been on edge all week because of the fight with my parents. Or high tide. Ian, it could be anything,” I said as my body began to shut down and my limbs felt like lead attached to me.
“So, you’re okay now?”
“Yep.”
“That was a good one?”
I laughed ironically. “If there is such a thing, yes, that was a smaller one.”
His voice was stone. “Okay.”
He stood and made his way toward the house.
“What’s pissed you off now, Kemp?”
“Nothing, I’ll get the party outside. I’ll build a fire.”
“Fine.”
“Fine. Well, that seems to be the word for the day.”
“It’s a good word,” I smarted toward his back. He turned on me so quickly I stumbled in the sand.
“I didn’t want this! I spent fifteen fucking years catering to another woman’s happiness and most of it was miserable. Just for once I wanted to think about me! And only me! But no, I’ve spent a majority of my night with my best bra’s worrying about you, and how you feel, and if you’re angry. If I’ve said the wrong thing or if you’ll
ever speak to me again!”
My eyes bulged. “You do hear what you’re saying, right?”
“I know how selfish it sounds and that’s the point!”
I swallowed as he took angry strides toward me. “You just couldn’t take an apology, so we could move past it. No! Instead, you make me feel terrible for existing. I can’t win! I didn’t want this! I don’t want to care about your feelings more than my own. I don’t want to be responsible for your moods. I just wanted some damned freedom!”
“Whoa,” I said, my head spinning with his wrath. Incredulous, I shook my head.
Three points to a good argument, Koti!
“Number one. Whoa. First of all, Tiger, you came to my island to implode and I rearranged everything to suit you. Number two, for you. Number three, because of the way you felt and what was happening to you. Which was what? Did you get bent out of shape over a hangnail, because everything seems to set you off.”