Page 15 of GAF Factor

I knew she had been struggling since she came back, but why wouldn’t she at least turn around and face me? “Isla…can we talk?”

When she turned and continued to stare at the floor, something inside me twisted into an ugly version of myself.

“You can’t even look at me?”

Her eyes finally met mine, but what I saw there wasn’t love.

“I’ve been trying to get you to talk to me for days.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why not?” Because of IKE? I didn’t dare ask that.

“Because…nothing really happened.”

“It was still traumatic.”

“It doesn’t feel like it should have been.” She slumped down on the bed. “I mean, honestly…we were in a cold container. We put up Christmas decorations. We talked. It was a very long, boring four days.”

Like I was supposed to believe that nothing happened for those four days. They were together in the dark. She had to be terrified. It was ridiculous to think nothing would happen.

“Look, it’s perfectly normal to not feel right. But you can talk to me.”

“Can I?” she asked, her eyes raising to meet mine. “Kavanaugh, I think we need to talk.”

“Good,” I nodded. “We should talk. A lot has happened and?—”

“I don’t need to talk about that. I mean, we need to talk about us. This isn’t working.”

I swallowed hard and said the first thing that popped into my mind. “Is this because of IKE?”

Her eyes widened and she surged to her feet. “Excuse me?”

“Okay,” I backed off. “Definitely not about IKE.”

“I tell you that this isn’t working between us and you think it’s because of another man?”

“Well, you did spend four days in a container with him. Am I really supposed to believe nothing happened?”

“So, now I’m a liar and a cheater?” she snapped.

Was that what I said? Fuck. “No, what I meant is that you don’t have to keep it from me. I would understand.”

“Really,” she nodded, taking a step forward. “You would understand if I was so desperate for warmth that I stripped and asked IKE to warm me up?”

“You really weren’t wearing that much to begin with,” I choked out, knowing I was only digging myself a deeper hole.

“I wasn’t wearing much because I was in my pajamas when I was taken!”

“I know,” I sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. That’s not?—”

“You know, I thought we could have a serious conversation about this, but all you’re doing is being an ass.”

“I—”

She kept coming at me, the look in her eyes downright lethal. “I can’t believe that I was kidnapped and held hostage, and all you can worry about is whether or not I went to see IKE today.”

“Did you?” I asked, needing to know.

---