Another Door Opens

41 - You look sad

- MILES -

I appreciate that Eden isn’t being weird about me asking her out while she has a boyfriend. 

But in some perverted kind of way, I wish she wouldn’t be so nonchalantly normal because I want her to be as affected as I am to justify my disappointment that she’s seeing someone.

If I wasn’t such a sucker, and of course didn’t love Grayson and hanging with Wolfe, I’d drop the class just to not suffer in her glorious presence three mornings a week. At least Wolfe is doing me the favour, despite not knowing it is indeed a favour to me, of shutting down most conversations referencing the boyfriend whenever they arise. I don’t think he’s the biggest fan of his, which disheartens me for Eden’s sake. She deserves to have her family and friends connect and appreciate the person she’s dating.

She’s been quiet today, which is weird because she’s always taking the piss out of Wolfe at every available opportunity, and sometimes extending that privilege out to both Grayson and I also whenever we start stirring her too like Wolfe does. I got the feeling early on this morning that there was some tension between them for some reason, but that seemed to die down as the morning progressed, made clearer than ever when he hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head before leaving straight after class to get to a job.

I made my way over to Eden, who appeared to be dawdling and taking her time with her stretch down and packing away her things to leave.

“You look sad,” I said, not so much asking as simply observing. She looks really down and it’s breaking my heart to see it.

She looked at me questioningly, definitely erring on the side of distrustful suspicion as she reached for her oversized knit jumper. “I do?”

“You do,” I said, floating somewhere between wanting and needing to know what was wrong. “What’s up?”

“Did you talk to Wolfe?” she asked, narrowing her eyes on me. If he were around I’m sure she’d be staring him down instead, but he’s already left for work.

“Eden, you know I talk to Wolfe all the time,” I laughed, remembering a conversation we three had last week about how she’d put money on the high likelihood that if Wolfe wasn’t with Luna, he’d be with me instead after witnessing me giving Wolfe’s trapezius a rub down after class when he said he was sore. I have training and certification in remedial massage, so this isn’t a stretch of my services at work when the issue arises, but apparently she’s now convinced there’s a ninety-six percent chance I could sway him after seeing the ‘most revolting expression of titillating arousal’ on her brother’s face at the time. It took every ounce of self-control I had to not automatically respond to her traumatised and disgusted face when looking at Wolfe that I’d be much more likely---and happy---to attempt a sway of her away from her boyfriend instead. “But I have no idea what you’re talking about right now. You just look sad.”

She pulled her jumper over her head, straightening it down over her hips before she let out a deep breath and refocussed herself back on me, waiting for her answer.

“It’s my dad’s birthday today,” she said matter-of-factly, wiggling her nose like she was trying to fight off tears. “But, he’s dead. And it sucks that he’s not here, and I miss him. That’s all.”

“Oh, Eden. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know,” I said, wishing I did so I didn’t bring it up and make her even more sad in having to talk about it. Her heartbroken face and near-tears are just about breaking me in two.

She smiled at me kindly. “It’s okay, Miles. Surprisingly enough, it’s not really something I lead with a lot of the time. You weren’t to know.”