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Her head shook, those dark curls caressing her cheeks. “No. He would never do that. It goes against some protocols he follows. He mentioned like a United Nations but for a whole bunch of planets or planes. I don’t know. I’m still confused by how all that works. I do know that using a non-alliance approved contractor for any kind of work here on Earth is strictly forbidden, and my father follows his contract to the letter,” she said with absolutely no hint that she was joking. “So if he comes after you, it’s pretty much him. I know that sounds like it’s not a big…”
He held up a hand. “There is a reason your dad sometimes gets tranqed. I would not tangle with that old man. I’ve also heard he’s good with poison.”
“He is not,” she said with a frown. “It’s whiskey. He makes it himself.”
“It’s moonshine, and I’ve heard many a man has found himself waking up in the woods after partaking.” He’d been told to avoid Mel’s whiskey at all costs. He stared at her for a moment, remembering how good it had felt to kiss her. “I’m sorry how I left hurt you. It was the last thing I wanted to do. It was why I left.”
“Was it?”
“I don’t know. I think maybe it was because I don’t want to get hurt, and I think you could tear me up. I don’t think you would mean to, but it became apparent to me that last night wasn’t casual. It wasn’t to me, and it definitely wasn’t to Hale. We don’t fight or argue.” He could still see the desolate look on Hale’s face. But more than that, he could remember how different Hale had been the night before, and that was the real problem. “Last night was not how most of our encounters go, and it threw me.”
“How do most of your encounters go?” She flushed. “That wasn’t a question I should have asked.”
“Why not? It’s one of the great things about Bliss. We get to ask all those uncomfortable questions because no one gets upset. They might not answer but they don’t get offended. I hear a lot about the ley lines around Bliss and all the mystical properties of the area, but I’m pretty sure the real magic of Bliss is that this is a no-fucks-given zone. I think there might be like a dome that keeps them out.” It was one of the things he loved about the place. When he got back to Dallas he would have to think about how to act all the time. There would be spaces where he could be himself, but nothing like the freedom he had here in Bliss. “As to your question, we’ve found it’s easier to have a game plan going in.”
“Going into intimate situations?”
“Yes. It’s easy to go with the flow when there are only two of you. Throwing that third body in can be tricky. Like all things in life, you get into patterns, and that pattern was broken last night,” Van admitted. “Hale usually follows my lead, but I don’t think he wanted to do that with you. You were special to him. It felt like change I wasn’t ready for. I got scared and ran away. It wasn’t fair to you. It wasn’t fair to him.”
“Thank you for that. I appreciate the honesty. I’ll give you some of my own. The way I reacted to what Hale said… Maybe I’m not ready for this either.” She gave him a half smile. “It felt serious. I was ready for all the good stuff, but that’s not the whole of any relationship. There’s bad stuff, too, and you have to be ready for all of it.”
“I’m not staying, Elisa.” Even saying the words made his gut clench. “I have to go to Dallas after I graduate. There’s a job waiting for me. My future’s there, and I think getting involved right now would only cause a whole lot of heart ache.”
“The funny thing is, I’m starting to think about staying. I know it’s too soon, but I like my dad,” Elisa admitted. “I really like my stepmom. I like the idea of having family around me, and there’s nothing for me back in North Carolina. If I can convince my sister to at least move a little closer, I might stay.”
“Yeah, I think Hale’s leaning that way, too. Last night made me face that fact.”
A brow rose over her eyes. “Are you telling me this is as much about Hale as it is me?”
Yeah, honesty hurt. “I think it’s about change that I’m not ready for.”
“I kind of got the feeling the two of you were a package deal. Mostly because everyone said you were. You two have been together for a long time. Why would you break up now?”
