Page 65 of Break

She gives him an easy smile before lowering herself gracefully to the floor, tucking her legs under the table and reaching for one of the bills. I have little interest in doing origami and shit, but Idohave an interest in sitting next to her and listening to her speak in dulcet tones. It’s calming and spending time with her is a big bonus. So, I reach down to the table and pick up a bill for myself. Then groan as I sit on the floor next to her, folding my body practically in half to inch closer to the table.

Ethan and Vincent mimic me and fill in the space on the empty sides of the table. Mina struggles to look into our faces, but not from being uncomfortable. Rather more likely because she’s in the spotlight and feels nervous.

Her fingers move deftly over the bill, creating sharp folds and creases as she explains each step. She pauses after each fold to watch our hands and correct us if we’re doing it wrong. Her moves are precise, and I can’t help but appreciate the concentration etched on her face. It’s only during moments like this since she’s been with us that she’s been so at peace focused on something that wasn’t Danny-related. It’s a nice change.

My knife, if you could even call it that, is a fucking mess. Ethan’s knife is perfect, and Vincent is somewhere in the middle. Laughing at his dramatic sigh when he holds up his finished project, Mina pulls it from his hand. “Here, try again with a fresh bill. I’ll start over and show you again. Make sure your corners are perfectly lined up at the beginning because with each fold, if it’s off, will have the wrong angles and it will continue to compound.”

I grab another bill to try again with them. After finishing it, I realize that there is definitely a sense of pride when you get to the end, and I selfishly want her to notice that I’m trying for her.

Vincent leans over to watch her work, nodding his approval as she finishes the final touches on the first knife and begins in on the second. “Damn, that’s pretty good. You should start a side gig making these things. People love this kind of shit.”

Mina grins at the compliment, and I smile along with her. It’s so good to see her happy, even if it’s just for a moment. It’s so clear that this is something she truly enjoys doing, even if the reason she’s talented is for unfortunate reasons. I fight back my anger towards Danny and her parents as it simmers inside of me, so I take a slow breath to try to let it go for now. She eyes me curiously, but doesn’t ask, thankfully. I’d rather not break us all out of this bubble.

We work through another two rounds of knife making and as I run my nail along the edge to flatten it; she leans toward me to watch. She tilts her head to study it, then turns her face to mine with the biggest smile I’ve seen on her yet and it’s fucking blinding. “That’sreallygood, Max.”

I feel the guys watching us and do my best not to flip them off. Her praise shouldn’t embarrass me, but it does. I’m not sure if she’s saying it to be nice or to placate me, because the mess I’ve made looks like a five-year-old did it. Giving her a nonchalant shrug, I say, “It’s looking alright. Looks somewhat like a knife, I suppose.”

There’s a spark that zaps my hand when she slips her palm over the back of mine, where I’m anxiously holding it over the paper to press it flat. “No lie. For never having done it before, you’re doing really well.” Her eyes flit back and forth across mine and her smile turns a touch shy before she looks away from me. “Be proud of yourself.”

Staring at her profile, a memory surfaces of her sitting next to me on Danny’s front steps, encouraging me to open up to her with kind words and no judgement.Thisis who she is. Someone full of support, kindness, and sweet words meant to lift you up versus tear you down. There haven’t been many people in my life who’ve been that kind of rock and I can’t help but kick myself in the ass for not recognizing the gift that she is years ago.

Leaning over, I press my lips to the side of her temple briefly in a wordless thanks. She stiffens for a moment, then turns to look at me in shock. Ethan raises a brow, surprised by my move, and then makes a soft noise before looking back down and finishing his own project.Yeah, I don’t know what that was either, buddy.

In an attempt to lessen any awkwardness, I clear my throat. “So, we were talking, and Vince shared that you’ve never been camping or fishing before. I’ve got some people that can cover our work for a few days with Breaking Barriers. Would you like us to take you tomorrow?”

Mina’s eyes widen, taking us all in. Vincent hasn’t stopped watching her, and Ethan looks up to study her as she thinks it over. “A-All three of you?”

Snickering, Vincent does what he does best and tries to make it seem like it’s not a big deal. “Of course! Who wouldn’t want to get away for some smores and hours of sitting in a boat with serious fishermen?” He waggles his eyebrows and pops his thumbs out to point at me and Ethan.

Tilting my head side to side, I decide that’s not an insult. “He’s not wrong. We are pretty serious about it. But we can show you how to do it, and it’ll be nice to disappear for a night or two without having to worry about shit that’s going on here.”

She still seems unsure. “But… what would I need to wear? I think I have a pair of boots, and maybe a pair of jeans. Everything else is just a few shirts I would wear for working in the yard.” Her eyes look toward the window. “Does it get very cold overnight?”

I can feel a trickle of excitement as I look out the window where the sun is just starting its decent behind the horizon. “It can get pretty chilly, but we’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need. I’m sure there are some spare sweatshirts and long-sleeve shirts lying around here somewhere. Why don’t you go look through your stuff and see what you’ve got that could be worn outside? You’ll want at least three changes of clothes.”

“We’ll swing by the store on our way out of town if you need anything,” Vincent assures her.

Chewing on her lip, I can tell she wants to go, but something is stopping her. “What’s holding you back?” I ask her, bumping my shoulder against her to show her I’m comfortable talking about her worries or concerns.

“I just… where will we sleep?” she blurts out.

Vincent gives her a warm smile and Ethan’s lips tilt up at her question as well. I’m worried she won’t love the plan, but it’s all we’ve got at the moment. “I have a tent that sleeps six, but the weather shouldn’t be too cold, so we can sleep outside if you’re not comfortable sharing a tent with us.”

I check in with the guys and they both nod that they’re onboard with giving her that space if she needs it. Her hand is shaking when she waves away her concern. “No, that’s fine. I’ll-” She pauses to swallow deeply, then pushes forward. “I’ll be okay with that.” Mina checks in with me to make sure I’m not uncomfortable with any of this. “If you all don’t mind, that is… having me there?”

Her hands are resting on her lap, so I reach over and give them a light squeeze. “It’ll be fun, Mina. Trust us. Camping is going to quickly become your favorite thing to do.”

I’m shocked when she turns her hand under mine and gives me a tighter squeeze back. Her hands are clammy and trembling a bit, but she gives me a steady smile. “I hope so. I’ll go see what I’ve got.”

Keeping her hand in mine, I stand up to help pull her to her feet and hesitate a moment before releasing her. “Once you have what you think you’ll need, come find one of us and we’ll look it over and decide what you’re missing.”

Nodding, she quietly thanks me and then says goodbye to us before high tailing it out of the room.

Vincent gets up and sits on the couch, leaning back while stretching his arms out. “This should be fun. Also,reallyfucking convenient.”

“What’s convenient about it?” I ask him, picking up one of her knives and flipping it around in my hand to study it, curious how she’s able to get it so perfect.

“Danny won’t have any idea where we are,” Ethan says gruffly.

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