Page 33 of Scar Tissue

There’s a moment of silence and Lucas looks directly into the camera as he speaks. “Take care, Thea.”

But she doesn’t give him the time of day and clicks theleave meetingbutton and then just sits there, staring at the blank screen. I don’t say anything, letting her be the first one to break the silence. Her shoulders rise as she takes a deep breath and releases it, before her hand reaches for her coffee, a slight tremble to her arm. She takes a tentative drink before physically deflating and looking at me. A lone tear trails down her cheek as her face shines with…not sadness, but resolve, maybe? The look in her eyes is that of a hollow victory. “It’s over…”

I go to her then, kneeling below her and placing a hand on the armrest to steady myself. “It’s over. You did it.”

“I thought I’d—I thought it would feel different,” she whispers as she meets my eyes.

I tilt my head slightly. “What do you mean?”

She takes another drink of her coffee. “Just that I still wouldn’t feel so…so empty. Or like he still won and has me in his clutches despite the fact that I never have to see him again.”

“He hasn’t won, but walking away from something that broke you isn’t going to erase the damage, either. The good news is that you have a choice now. A choice to wake up tomorrow and every day after without thinking about him because he doesn’t get to take up space in your mind anymore. That space is meant for you to fillwith whatever the hell you want. And the fact that you get to do that is a testament to how little control he has over you now. Feel what you need to feel, but don’t get caught in the cycle.” My hand moves from the armrest to her knee cap and electricity buzzes between us at the contact, but neither of us act on it. “What is your plan for taking custody of everything you won in the settlement?”

“They’ll need an address to send me the checks for the money, but other than that I was considering having them ship me the vehicle and pay for it myself just so I don’t have to step foot back on that base and face him.”

I quickly shake my head. “No, you need to save your money, Thea. What if I went with you? That way we can kill several birds with one stone and get the checks in person, too, to make sure they won’t get lost in the mail.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea…” she mumbles.

“Why? Because you’re afraid of what he is going to think seeing us together? So what? What has he done for you recently to deserve your sympathy?” I’m not saying it to be harsh or to make us seem like something we’re not, but I won’t lie and pretend like it wouldn’t give me a level of satisfaction to see the look on his face at the sight of the two of us.

She seems to contemplate that for a few moments before straightening her posture. “Fine. But promise me you won’t start anything? Please.”

“I promise to try. I can’t guarantee I can hold back if he’s an asshole to you, though.”

“Nathan, I appreciate it but I don’t need protecting.” She sighs as she lets her hair down.

I stand up and cross my arms. “I know you don’t. But it doesn’t mean you’re not worth taking care of.”

A few more moments pass between us before she dips her chin in agreement. “Do you think we could go Friday? I’m not sure showing up today would be the most appropriate, and I have work tomorrow through Thursday.”

Speaking of, she hasn’t told me about that yet. I plan to ask her about it on the drive back to Norfolk, and also make it a point to discuss her healthcare. She can’t just go without. “Yeah, we can. We will need to bring Claire with us, or see if Dylan and Fletcher would be willing to watch over her while we’re gone.”

Chapter

Twenty-One

THEA

The week came and went in a blurry mess of emotions: emptiness, anger, repulsion, excitement, fear, lust, and more. Fortunately, I had work to keep me busy up until this morning. Now, I’m waiting for Nathan to finish getting his affairs in order so we can make the day trip to Norfolk and back. Claire opted to join us, even though what she really wanted to do was stay here by herself, but it’s evident Nathan’s trust doesn’t stretch that far yet. I empathize with her, but I don’t exactly blame him either given the circumstances. When we recommended staying with Fletcher and Dylan for the day, she visibly bristled. Apparently, her trust in people is also limited.

We woke up early so that we wouldn’t get back too late, but at this rate, I’m starting to wonder if the early wake up was worth it with how long it’s taking Nathan to get his shit together. Just as I’m about to stomp down the hallway and knock on his bedroom door, he emerges and slings a duffle bag over his shoulder. Claire has been waiting patiently at the kitchen island, one of my books open in front of her—some young adult fantasy I haven’t had the chance to read myself. I offered it to her, hoping she’d accept the olive branch. She might not have said anything when she took it, but I still consider ita win. She doesn’t have a cell phone, only an old iPod that Nathan gave her when she got here. Again, that thing about trust? It’s not complete yet. “Why do you look like you’ve packed for a weekend away?” I cross my arms as he approaches me, throwing the bag at my feet.

He only lifts an eyebrow at me in response. “Always better to be over prepared than underprepared. You never know when plans are going to fall through. I threw an extra outfit and pajamas in for you and Claire.”

We both glare at him and I’m about to say something when Claire beats me to it. “You went through my things?”

His expression falters. “I didn’t technically gothroughyour things when they were strewn about.”

“That’s still weird,” she says flatly. She slams the book closed with a snap and stands, grabbing her iPod off the counter with it. “Don’t touch my shit.”

Nathan opens his mouth, but I shoot him a look to shut him down. Instead, he mumbles when Claire strides past him and out the front door. “Language…”

She lingers for a second, adjusting her sleeves as she looks at us as if asking if we’re coming. I give her a small smile, but this one I hope conveys the fact that I get it, and she gives me a small nod in return. Some of the color has returned to her skin since Nathan brought her here. Her hair doesn’t have as dull a sheen as it did, either; the dirty blonde, nearly brown strands hold new life now that she’s been taking care of it regularly. Her eyes aren’t as muddy and the brown seems brighter. Even if she hasn’t spoken much to us, she seems to be making progress and that’s all that matters. Once she’s out the door, Nathan unlocks his car so she can climb in while we both linger. “You could’ve just asked her, probably should’ve.” I try not to make my tone accusatory, but a lot of Claire’s attitude right now is based on her ability to feel comfortable around us, and anybody going through her things is likely seen as an invasion of privacy. Especially a male.

Almost as if he knows what I didn’t say, he says, “I was just trying to be helpful.”

“And I know that, but she likely doesn’t. She doesn’t know how these things work…She’s having to relearn what normal is.” I sigh.