Free The Beauty in Between: Too Close (A Beautiful Series Novella) by Lilliana Anderson Page B

ok to cry
David. It's me. It's not like I’m not going to tell anyone,” she
whispered, rising up on her knees and wrapping her arms around me.
“It’s ok.”
    I leaned into
her and let go, crying like a fucking baby. If anyone else had been
there, I would have been so embarrassed. But it was just Trina and
me, and this was the first time I ever let the fact that my father
took off on me and my mum get to me. I wasn’t upset over the car. I
really didn’t give a shit about it once I found out it came from
him. I cared that he had been to my house. He had spoken to my mum,
but he hadn’t even tried to see me.
    Eventually, we
lay down on her bed together, and I told her everything about the
visit and how angry I was at him for leaving. She listened quietly
and held me, gently stroking my hair as I spoke. I don’t remember
at what point we fell asleep, but when I woke up, my head was on
her chest, and her arms were still wrapped around me.
    When I opened
my eyes, sore and swollen from a night of being upset, it took a
while for me to focus and realise that the door to Katrina’s room
was open. In the doorway stood Ethan, leaning against the frame
with his arms crossed and a very unimpressed look on his face.
    I sat up and
held up my hand. “This is not what you think Ethan,” I told him
quietly, trying not to disturb Trina.
    Katrina
stirred. “What?” she asked, her voice heavy with sleep as she
rubbed her eyes to get her focus. Suddenly, she sat bolt upright
with a gasp. “Ethan!”
    “I should have
known you too weren’t just friends,” he seethed. Pushing himself
off the door frame and stepping into the room.
    “No Ethan!
David is just a friend, nothing more. I promise you!” Katrina
rambled, climbing out of the bed and rushing toward him, placing
her hands on his chest pleadingly.
    I swung my legs
out of the bed and went to stand, pain shooting through my feet as
I took my weight. “Shit,” I hissed.
    “What the hell
happened to you?” Ethan asked, taking in the bandages around my
feet.
    “You don’t want
to know,” I told him, pushing up and successfully standing this
time. “I’ll leave you two alone.” They moved out of the way, so I
could walk out the door. But Katrina grabbed my arm at the last
second.
    “What about my
parents? I don’t want you in trouble.”
    Pausing, I
laughed. “After all these years, do you really think they don’t
know?” I saw the look on Ethan’s face when I said that, and
instantly felt guilty for rubbing salt into a wound that was so
fresh for him. “I’m sorry. It's not like that… it’s….” I
started.
    “Just go David,
I can handle this,” Trina told me, her face begging for me to shut
up. I limped my way into the kitchen and sat on one of the stools
around the breakfast bar, listening to the murmuring as Katrina
tried to calm Ethan down behind the now closed door to her
room.
    Trina’s dad
walked through, dressed in his work uniform. For a second, my heart
stopped beating. I wasn’t sure how he’d react to finding me in his
kitchen so early wearing only my boxer shorts.
    “Morning David.
What ungodly hour did you arrive at?” he asked, heading straight to
the coffee pot and pouring himself a mug. “Want one?”
    “Sure, thanks.
So… you’re not annoyed?”
    “At what? You
staying in Trina’s room?”
    “Um… yeah.”
    He placed a cup
of coffee in front of me and took the seat across from me. “Your
mum called us last night and told us what happened. We all figured
you needed a friend.” He took a mouthful of his coffee. “What’s
going on in there?” he asked, inclining his head toward Katrina’s
door.
    “Ethan came
over and saw us asleep together,” I explained.
    “Hmm, that’s a
hard one to explain.” He took another mouthful and then narrowed
one eye at me suspiciously. “Nothing did happen though – did
it?”
    “No Mr Mahoney.
I promise that I have never touched your daughter.”
    “Good. I trust
her judgement, but