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I shrieked and spun around so fast, I lost my balance. I flopped over into the mud.
Dyrel reached down to help me up.
I slapped his hand aside and climbed to my feet by myself.
I didn’t need his help. I didn’t need anything from him.
I dusted off my hands.
“It’s not safe out here,” he said. “Not at night. If you wanted to see the park, I could have brought you in the morning or afternoon—”
“You don’t need to bring me anywhere!” I spat. “I’m not a damn dog!”
He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and calmly stepped back.
“I never thought you were,” he said.
Looking at him now, I could believe him. Was it my own psychoses playing up again? Was it my own sense of independence preventing me from seeing the situation for what it really was?
I’d been told it many times before—often by an insightful ex-boyfriend or, most often, by my closest friends—that I tended to imagine things that weren’t there. I was aware of it but that didn’t mean it was an easy thing to change.
“How about we head inside?” Dyrel said. “We’ll have something nice to eat and drink and relax.”
I smiled at the idea. It really was what I wanted. Then I shook my head and turned to march away.
“No!” I said.
He followed after me.
“Where are you going?” he said.
“Anywhere,” I said. “Somewhere. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. I’m responsible for you—”
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I spun on him and waved a finger under his nose.
“Just because you bought me, don’t think you own me!” I said.
“I don’t own you,” he said.
He wore the distinctive mask of hurt on his face. He’d been nothing but kind to me, and despite the situation, he’d never made me feel like I was a thing he possessed. He’d always treated me with respect.
Could I honestly put my hand on my heart and say I had done the same?
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Dyrel said.
“You!” I said, my residual anger still pressing firmly on my emotions.
“Whatever it is, I’m sure we can sort it out,” he said.
My emotions were a thick tangle in my head, bouncing and cajoling, each one vying to be the dominant emotion in charge. I was sure my face was showing the same confusion.
If he didn’t stop being so caring and considerate, I would soon throw a full-on wet rubbery one.
Too late.
