Be My Anchor

Chapter Twenty

"Hey," I said stupidly. "Can we talk?"

Tristan nodded. "Do you want to go inside?" he offered, lifting a hand.

He must be hyper-aware of my phobia now after bringing me so close to it before.

We walked down the stairs and found a little cushioned bench tucked away in a corner. We sat on either end.

Tristan wrung his hands in his lap, looking unusually self-conscious. Neither of us spoke for a moment.

"I'm not exactly sure where to start," I admitted.

Tristan shook his head. "Me either."

I opened my mouth to say something three times before any sound actually came out. "A lot has happened," I started slowly. "Things were weird even before the beach incident. I liked hanging out with you, but I don't know...I think we both made some mistakes. I don't hold anything against you. I hope you don't hold anything against me either."

I sighed. I was beginning to ramble. "I guess what I'm trying to say is...no hard feelings?" I looked up at Tristan hopefully.

His shoulders relaxed in relief and he smiled at me. "Of course. No hard feelings. I'm sorry for all the bad things. I think I may have lost my sanity once or twice on this trip."

I laughed. "I did too."

We both paused for a moment, lost in our thoughts.

"So, what are you going to do with the necklace?" I asked. Tristan raised both eyebrows at me in surprise. "I mean, I don't suppose you can return it."

He forced out a laugh. "No, I don't suppose I can." He looked down at his fidgeting hands as if he could see the necklace right there in his palm. "I might give it to my mom," he thought aloud. "Or...maybe to someone in the future."

"Not Rhea?" I asked tentatively and silently cursed the small voice in the back of my head that had no filter.

But honestly, it was a genuine question.

Tristan tilted his head as if he hadn't considered it before. "No, we're just friends," he said finally. "I'll admit though, she's not exactly what I expected, but she's fun to be around."

He paused.

"Do friends give each other expensive gifts?"

I shrugged. "You did give it to me," I offered.

"Yes, well, I didn't want you to be just a friend."

We both fell silent at his direct admission and he averted his eyes, turning his head to hide the blush creeping across his face.

Was this talk a good idea? Somehow we'd managed to make it even more awkward around each other.

"I'm sorry," I managed to get out.

Tristan turned back to me with urgency now in his eyes. "You don't have to be sorry. I get it. I know you're close with Gabe."

I blushed at the mere mention of his name.

"So," Tristan continued, "friends?"

I nodded. "Friends."

He leaned forward slightly as if to give me a hug, but then thought better of it and retreated. He stood up as he said his goodbyes before leaving me alone.

I sat there, unmoving, and took a couple of deep breaths. I closed my eyes and felt the gentle rocking of the boat. For the first time, it didn't alert me as dangerous. Instead, it soothed me as I continued to come down from high emotions. I smiled to myself.