Free This Trust of Mine by Amanda Bennett

there in time to surprise her before she left,
but when I got there, almost the entire lot was empty except for the football
team.
    I hauled my
ass down through town quicker than I ever thought was possible. When I pulled
up outside the boutique, I sat in the cab of my truck contemplating whether or
not to even go inside. I wasn't sure if me surprisin' her at work like that was
such a good idea.
    Once I
finally made it out of the truck, I proceeded to pace back and forth, willing
myself to go inside, but changing my mind at least twenty times before I
finally opened the door. The minute I walked over the threshold and into that
shop, I knew without a doubt, it was the right thing to do.
    I could feel
her presence before I even saw her. Although it took me a minute, because she
looked quite different from when I had left. Her hair was lighter and it had
some bright blonde streaks going through it. And when her blazin' blue eyes met
with mine, my heart stopped, right there in my chest. I swear I felt as though I
had just died and gone to heaven, but all that changed the minute I saw the
look on her face. She didn't seem pleased and I could feel her hesitation in
wanting to come to me. When she did, my heart literally picked up pace and all
but took flight in my chest.
    That moment
only lasted for a short while before she broke down. I honestly didn't know if
it was me that caused her reaction, a panic attack, or whatever it was that
happened to her, but I knew that it wasn't the best time to be honest with her.
I knew I needed to be honest if this relationship ever stood a chance, but
right now it felt as though it would do more harm than good. Even if Cami
hadn't found me and Korena in my room, I still would've told Kayla. She meant
more to me than I ever thought possible and there was no way I was goin' to let
some one night stand get in the way of that.
    I led her
over to a small velvet covered chair in the far corner, before I even tried to
ask what was goin' on. I tried to pull my hand from hers once she was in a
somewhat comfortable position, but she had a vice grip on it and I was quickly
coming to the conclusion that whatever it was, she needed me. I pulled the
other chair next to her's and took a seat. Her hand was tremblin' and it took
everything in me not to pull her into my lap and comfort her. So I pulled her
hand slowly up to my lips and pressed them against the back of her hand.
    "Pretty
girl, are you okay? Is there anything I can do?" I was just prayin' that
she would let me in. Something wasn't right with her, I could feel it in my
bones.
    She shook
her head no, but didn't say a word. I felt helpless and hopeless all at once.
There was obviously nothin' I could do to soothe her pain away and it made me
question everything I had ever thought I could be capable of giving her.
    Obviously
picking up on my self-doubt, she finally spoke. "It's not you, Madison. I
promise. You have to believe me."
    I pulled her
hands into mine and buried them in my lap. "I do believe you darlin', but
you gotta help me here. I don't know what to do for you. I feel so
useless."
    She slipped
one of her hands out of my tight grasp and pulled it to her heart. "You
will never be useless to me Madison. You do more for me than I think you may
ever know. Things are just, different now."
    My heart
jumped and fear raced through my veins. "What do you mean,
different?"
    "I
don't mean different between us, I just mean I am different."
    I pushed my
fingers back through my unkempt hair, letting out a loud sigh. Something was different, now all I needed was for
her to tell me what it was.
    "Can
someone fill in for you for the rest of the day?" I was hopin' for a yes,
but that wasn't what I was goin' to get.
    "I
can't Madison. My boss is already being a freakin' terror today and the other
girl who is our other closer has dance practice tonight, so it's just me. I'm
sorry. Can we get together later?"
    Within
seconds, she was up and back to hanging