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"Trust me, you don't have to worry about him. If he knows what's good for him, he'll look the other way every time you pass him," Trent says.
"You're completely nuts," I retort with a giggle.
I slide out of bed and stand to my feet, stretching big and wide. "I'm going to take a shower, and then I need some fresh air." I take a few steps toward the bathroom before looking back at him. "Want to join me?"
He smirks and shakes his head. "Your dad is only a few feet away. I've managed to get on his good side. I don't think he'd appreciate it too much to hear me banging his daughter in the shower."
I let out a hearty laugh for the first time in what feels like forever. It feels good to be able to laugh with him again. It's nice being back on even ground with him. Ever since he'd told me everything that's been going on, our dynamic turned from playful and fun to something tense and serious. I'm glad we can go back to laughing and joking the way we used to, as it has at least distracted me from the problems awaiting us.
He remains in my bedroom while I quickly take a shower. I purposely come out of the bathroom naked, feeling his heated gaze on me as I move around my bedroom to get dressed. After pulling on a tank top and a pair of leggings, I tie my hair up into a messy bun and look at him expectantly.
"Let's take a walk," I suggest.
He nods and stands from the bed, following me out of my bedroom. We make our way through my silent house before we step out into the backyard. Neither of us says anything for a little while as we walk across my huge backyard. I look at the huge oak tree in my backyard for as long as I can remember, a small smile settling on my lips.
"I used to climb that tree when I was younger," I start. "My dad used to hate it so much. Every time he saw me swinging from one of the branches, he'd threaten to cut the tree down because he couldn't keep me out of it."
"I can't see someone like you wanting to climb trees," Trent muses with a chuckle. "You seem like the girly type."
"You can ask my dad," I retort, giving him a playful shove. "Back then, all of my dad's friends had sons, so I was stuck playing with a bunch of boys. They liked to climb trees and in order for me to be 'one of them,' I also had to. And once I did, I actually liked it." I look up at the tall branches that stretch up toward the sky. "It always made me feel so big yet so small. And the views were so much better up there than on the ground."
Trent jogs ahead of me and jumps up, grabbing a branch. I watch as he pulls himself up to sit on it before looking down at me with a grin.
"Think you still got it in you to climb a tree, little spider monkey?" he taunts, moving to another branch.
I look at the first branch warily. It's been a long time since I've attempted to climb a tree, leaving those days behind me once I hit puberty. But as Trent grins down at me, I sigh inwardly and jump up, just barely grabbing the branch. He laughs a little as I struggle to pull myself up, clapping when I finally sit on the branch with a huff.
"Looks like you still got it after all," he teases as he lowers himself to the branch I'm sitting on.
We look out at everything around us. While we aren't high enough to really have a nice view, we can see into a couple of my neighbor's backyards. I take in a deep breath, letting the warm air fill my lungs before blowing it back out.
"When I used to climb up here, I used to pretend I was a bird," I murmur.
"Why a bird?" Trent asks. "Birds aren't the only thing in trees."
I shrug. "Birds are the most free." I drop my gaze to my lap. "Birds can go anywhere. If they sit in a tree and realize they no longer like it, they can fly off and start somewhere new." I look toward my house. "I used to wish I could get far away from this place. You know, leave the social media life behind and go to school across the country if it means I could have a regular relationship with my dad. I wanted to be that bird that chose another tree when my tree no longer felt like home."
"What's stopping you from leaving?" he asks.
I shrug again. Sometimes I don't know what stops me from leaving. Maybe I've just gotten used to all the things I wanted to run from. Maybe I found a way to make this tree home even though it required a lot of renovations to make it feel right. Maybe leaving would force me to make decisions that I'm not ready to make, like what I actually want to do with my life that doesn't involve social media.
"I don't know. I guess I just don't have a sense of direction yet for it to make sense to leave now," I finally admit. I meet his gaze. "Besides, if I left when I originally wanted to, we wouldn't be here right now."
He looks at me for a long while. "If someone wasn't trying to have you killed, we wouldn't be here right now," he corrects me, his voice soft.
I drop my gaze as reality crashes back onto my head. "Right," I murmur. We quietly sit in the tree, both of us lost in our own thoughts. I wish we could stay like this forever. Sitting in a tree and talking feels normal, something that could be an everyday thing for us. But I know that reality may not be in my future. Even though things feel great right now, they're bound to come to an end.
They always do.
"I have to get going," Trent says. Anxiety replaces the calmness that once filled me at the thought of him disappearing again. Even though I want to ask him to stay, it's back to business for him. Besides, it'll only end with us getting into another fight, and I'm exhausted from the whiplash of emotions.
We make our way back to the ground, and I wrap my arms around myself. "I guess I'll see you around then," I say.
"I'll call you." He reaches up and strokes my cheek briefly before he turns and walks away. I sigh as I watch him walk around the side of my house before he disappears completely.
I trudge back into the house, already wondering when I'll see or hear from him again.
21
