Sequel to Broken.
"Memories have the ability of unlocking new emotions. They allow you to relive moments with surfacing feelings you were unable to experience then. It's your choice to let these feelings live and take hold or tragically, or in this...
Makenna couldn't stop her thoughts from wandering to her encounter with Atlas a couple of hours later. After a few rounds with Brandon, Thea had shown up and she'd been able to focus on those things in the moment. But as soon as she and Thea headed out to grab a drink, she hadn't been able to think of anything but that.
Take a hint. She'd been screaming that in her head since Atlas walked away from her.
But the thing was he had taken the hint, the wrong hint. She had been hoping her walking away from him countless times and telling him to forget about the event before spring break would be enough to convince him that she wasn't, in the slightest bit, interested in him in that way. But he'd taken the way she'd kissed him as the hint and her walking away for him as fear. And she hated the fact that he seemed so sure that he was right.
"Are you alright?"
Makenna looked up from where she was seated to see Thea placing a drink in front of her as she took the seat across from her.
"Uh, yea." Makenna shook her head and wrapped her hand around the disposable cup,
"You don't seem sure."
Makenna looked at her for a moment before she let out an inaudible sigh, "I don't understand..." your brother, "guys."
The smile that grew on Thea's face was unexpected, "You're having boy trouble."
"No, I'm not." Makenna said too quickly, "I just...I'm having a hard time figuring them out. And seeing as you have a boyfriend, you might have more experience than I do."
Thea's puppy dog face was the cutest thing Makenna had ever seen but she didn't tell her that.
"It's sweet that you're talking to me about it. I know it wasn't easy for you and I appreciate you sharing."
Makenna felt at ease that Thea was kindly acknowledging that fact rather than making her feel weird about having no experience.
"And as for understanding guys, you just really need to be straightforward with them."
"What if that doesn't work and they just keep pursuing me?" Makenna asked,
Thea smiled, "Then they're probably there to stay."
"And if I don't want them to?"
"Then you need to say and show it."
Makenna exhaled deeply as Thea studied her, "If you really do not want this guy to keep pursuing you, then you would pull out all the stops to make that clear to him. But I know for a fact that if you're even just a little bit interested, you would be sending him mixed signals."
Makenna's gaze shifted from Thea to the cup in front of her as she wondered if that was what she was sending Atlas. Their kiss replayed in her mind and she could see where her action showed that she might want him in that way.
"You like him."
Makenna barely heard it, but she snapped her gaze at Thea, "What?"
"It's written clearly on your face." Thea smiled, "You like him."
"I don't." Makenna's expression hardened and she avoided her gaze,
Thea's chuckle reached her ears, "You had this faraway look for a moment there and I could have sworn you...melted into your seat."
"I didn't melt into my...why are we having this discussion?"
"Because you're having a hard time deciding if you like this guy even though he's probably going against everything you've told him to."
"I just don't understand why guys can't take our no for no."
Thea opened her mouth and closed it as she and Makenna looked at each other. They shared a moment of understanding and Thea's heart broke at what Makenna was talking about. She knew then that this was more about her words being ignored than understanding guys.
Makenna looked away and sipped on her drink for the first time as Thea's eyes misted with tears. She quickly blinked it away because she didn't want Makenna to see her getting emotional. The look she'd seen in Makenna's eyes told her something but she was very much in denial to believe that gut feeling she had.
She couldn't let herself believe that someone she knew, someone she cared for, might have gone through something horrendous.
"All that's left is a restraining order." Makenna joked,
Thea smiled sadly, "What if he stopped pursuing you?"
Makenna frowned for a moment and shrugged, "Things would be a lot easier to handle."
"No doubt," Thea said, "But would it make you pensive, maybe even sad?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm just trying to help you figure out if you're doing this for the right reasons," Thea said, "If it's something that you truly do not want, then I'm a hundred percent with you. But if you're doing it from a place of fear, then you might want to figure out why so that you can get around it."
Makenna immediately denied that it was fear. She wasn't afraid of Atlas, she simply wanted him to stop pursuing her for more. But Thea's last question about what her reaction would be if he stopped pursuing her, made her pause. Her answer wasn't so quick and she hated that she didn't feel confident about answering the question.
"So, if it's fear, you think I should be with this guy?"
"No, I'm not saying that." Thea said, "But taking the fear out of the picture would allow you to make a decision that you can be happy with rather than a wrong one."
I guess it makes sense. Makenna thought back to how she'd felt rather than how she wanted to feel when she was with him.
"Thanks, Thea."
"No worries, I'm always here if you ever need to talk things out." She said with a smile which Makenna returned, "So, any chance I know this guy?"
"Oh, we are not getting into that." Makenna sat back in her chair,
"It doesn't happen to be that cute guy you were sparring with before I came in earlier,"
Makenna laughed lightly, "I'll just leave you to your guessing."
And that's what Thea did.
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We're already two weeks into March. How crazy is that?
I hope you're doing well. See you back here next week.
