Page 28 of Fire of the Fox

“Speaking of boyfriends,” Akira said, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

I sat down, and he leaned in close. “Was that guy who confronted Rune on the dance floor at the club a boyfriend of yours at one point?”

I gave a half-hearted chuckle and looked down at my hands. I shrugged and said, “I guess he technically was, but I don’t know if you would consider it a real relationship.”

“Why not?” Marlow asked.

I glanced at him, then back at my hands. “Well, we never actually went out or had a real, meaningful conversation. The only time he’d ever come see me was to give me his homework assignments.”

“Why were you with someone like that?” Akira asked.

“It’s a long story.”

“Aw, come on! You can tell us.”

I sighed and shook my head. “Well, I liked Dax for a long time. Me, him, and Dallas all went to the same high school, so I knew him from there. Being young and stupid, our fleeting conversations between classes and exchanged glances made me develop a crush.

“When we found out which college we’d been accepted to, I couldn’t believe we were going to the same one. Dallas told me it was fate, and at first, I didn’t believe her because Dax had never really paid attention to me like that before. But then one day, at the end of senior year, he came up to me and told me he’d had a crush on me all this time but was too nervous to ever tell me. He officially asked me out, and of course I said yes. The rest is history.”

Biting the inside of my lip, I met Akira’s eyes. That was the end of the story, but he watched me as if he were waiting for me to keep going. Sure enough, he gestured for me to continue.

“So?” he asked. “What happened with you guys? What made it fall apart?”

Shaking my head, I looked up at the ceiling. “I guess the fact that it was never real?”

Ha.

I wanted to let out a bitter laugh and give Rune a pointed look. It seemed I’d found myself in yet another fake relationship. That stung, but at least this one would serve me in a good way. This one would be different.

Taking a deep breath, I recounted my relationship with Dax in detail. Rune and the other guys watched me patiently as I told them of the manipulation, the cheating, and the lies. Akira squeezed my hand gently as I talked, and the gesture helped me to get the words out. Rune was stoic throughout the retelling, but there were times when I saw something shift in his face. It was subtle, like a tick in his jaw, when I spoke of Dax’s unfaithfulness or a sharp inhale when I mentioned how Dax used me.

As if Rune was any better.

Bassel scooted closer from his side of the couch once I’d finished and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t have pulled Rune away from the fight that night. Sounds like that guy deserved a good ass-beating.”

I laughed and said, “It’s fine. Really. I mean, at first, I was upset about everything, mainly at myself for giving in to such an obvious lie, but right after Dax dumped me, I had this crazy—”

I stopped. I couldn’t tell them about the fox. Crazy experience indeed. I barely knew these guys, and although they were very easy to talk to, they’d probably have me committed for talking to a fox as if it were a human being. Granted, I wasn’t actually talking to it specifically. I was talking myself through the situation, and he just happened to be there to listen with nonjudgmental ears. Convincing them of that was more trouble than it was worth, though.

“What?” Rune asked. Amusement played at his lips. “What happened after that?”

I swallowed hard and gave a dismissive wave. “Nothing. I would probably sound crazy if I told you guys.”

Marlow beamed at me. “We like crazy. I’m the biggest lunatic here. You can tell us.”

Akira gave me an encouraging nod.

I let out a long breath, debating whether I was actually going to say my next words. Under all of their expectant gazes, I finally relented but decided to omit some details.

“Okay, well, I went to this creek, and I saw this ... this fox. He was hurt, so I helped him. After that, he stayed. He didn’t seem afraid, and he sat with me for a while. An actual fox. I spent the time reflecting and soaking up the weird experience.

“After that, I felt better. I can’t explain why, but he just made me feel like things were going to be okay. That was when I realized I was better off without Dax.”

Taking a deep breath, I dared to look around at all their faces, expecting to see surprise, shock, or, worst-case scenario, concern for my sanity. Instead, every single one of them smiled. Everyone except for Rune. He stared off at the drawn curtains along the windows.

I swallowed and gave a nervous laugh. “See? I sound crazy, huh?”

Akira shook his head and said, “I think that sounds amazing! It sounds like you and the fox had something really special for him to stick around. Do you think you’ll ever see that fox again?”

---