Page 83 of Sin

Grabbing another plate, I went to work rinsing and scrubbing it clean. “I’m sorry. I guess I was just projecting. I’ll drop it.”

He was quiet for a moment, then he released a breath. “No, I’m sorry. I think I’m wound a little tighter than normal. Bennett knows I haven’t talked to my mom in months. Just the occasional text to let her know I’m okay.” He passed the towel back and forth between his hands while he waited for me to finish cleaning the plate. “What did you mean you were projecting?”

I peered at him out of the corner of my eye, hesitant to delve deeper into this topic if he was only going to get frustrated with me. We were doing so well recently, and I didn’t want to jeopardize this truce we’d seemed to come to. “It’s painful, watching you avoid your mom. I miss my mom so much and think about her every day. I wish I could have her back, to be able to talk to her, hug her, hear her tell me how much she loves me.” I nibbled my bottom lip, handing him the plate. “You’re hurting. It’s understandable. You lost your father, and I’m guessing your family’s been struggling to figure out how to move on. But London, your sisters are still here. Your mom’s still here. So it’s hard to see you push them away like this. Your mom lost her husband. Don’t make her lose her son, too.”

London stared at me for a long moment, and I worried I’d overstepped. But then slowly, he nodded and released a harsh breath. “Damnit, I hate it when you’re right.”

I shrugged, grabbing another dish to clean. “I have my moments,” I said, aiming for lightheartedness and failing miserably.

We finished up the dishes, and London took a deep breath before padding over to his mom. She looked surprised when he bent down and whispered something in her ear. She nodded eagerly, and I watched as the two of them disappeared out the back door to the backyard.

I watched them through the window while they spoke, trying to read their lips and failing.

Giving up, I hung out with the others for a while. Rob had turned on the TV and was watching sports with Nick and Charlie. Bennett was telling Angela all about the new prosthetic he’d gotten recently and how it was strong enough to match Nick’s Super strength. The kids at the nonprofit pediatric prosthetic practice he volunteered at during the week had apparently loved seeing him accidentally rip off the practice’s front door. Mare, Eva, and London’s sisters were now crowded together along one of the couches in the other room, and I watched as Mare fucking giggled at something Eva whispered in her ear.

After a few minutes, my gaze drifted to the plate of cookies Sarah had brought. There weren’t many left, and my fingers twitched to grab one. But even as the thought came, panic rose.

Then the man grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her up the Citadel steps. The other protesters tried to snatch her back, but the uniformed Supers blocked their path.

My heart flip-flopped, and I shoved out of the car, the cookies toppling out after me.

“Sin?”

I snatched my hand back like I’d been caught stealing. It took me a moment to realize Sarah was standing next to me. The back door was still open, but I didn’t see London.

“Oh, hi,” I said, a little uncomfortable finding myself alone with her. London hadn’t been the only one avoiding her this evening.

“Hi,” she said, with some amusement. Her eyes drifted to the cookies, then back to me. Her lips lifted in a hesitant smile. “Do you mind joining me outside for a little bit?”

My stomach dropped, and I looked around for any excuse as to why I couldn’t do that, but I found none.

Swallowing, I tried to smile. “Sure.”

Stepping out onto the back patio first, I glanced around in search of London again. I didn’t see him, and my heart raced as I waited for Sarah to join me. After a few moments, Sarah smiled at me as she let the door slide shut behind her, cutting off the noise from inside and any chance of me escaping. “Now, Sinclair, you wouldn’t be trying to avoid me tonight, would you?”

Rubbing my arms, I looked away from her searching gaze. “What?” I laughed, a little too loudly. “No way. Of course not.”

“Good. Now get your butt over here and give me a hug.”

She opened her arms wide in invitation, and I froze. I couldn’t… No, I didn’t think I could touch her.

Reading my hesitation, Sarah frowned, letting her arms drop to her sides. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just not feeling well,” I said. And it wasn’t even a lie. My skin clammed up, and a bead of sweat gathered at the corner of my brow. My stomach twisted with nerves, and I regretted that third slice of pizza.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say to a nurse, because Sarah was directly in front of me in an instant. I flinched when she pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. She frowned before shifting her fingers to my neck to take my pulse. “You don’t seem to be running a fever, but your pulse is slightly elevated. Let’s have you sit down for a minute and see if that helps, okay?”

Unable to speak around the thickness in my throat, I simply nodded and let her lead me to one of the patio chairs. I slumped down into the nearest one while she chose the seat beside mine.

I avoided her keen gaze as I breathed through the panic rising in my throat. It was hard to breathe, and I tugged at the collar of my shirt in an attempt to relieve some pressure. It didn’t help, not that I truly expected it to.

After a couple minutes of listening to the muffled chatter coming from inside the house, Sarah finally broke the silence. “Are you okay, Sin?”

My tongue felt heavy and weighted in my mouth, but I forced myself to speak. “Yes.”

Her lips quirked. “Liar.”

I chuckled and finally glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She looked like she’d aged a decade since the last time I’d seen her, which had been at Bennett’s wedding. I’d dodged being alone with her then, too. “What about you, Sarah? How are you doing?”

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