Page 8 of The Fence Between Us

Elyza took the two paper coffee cups from Skye’s fingers, which suddenly seemed frozen in place.

“She doesn’t talk about us much, but who can really blame her?” The man on the left sauntered forward, smiled charmingly, and grasped Skye’s hand in a kind but firm handshake.

“What with our ugly mugs, she’s probably afraid people will think there is a family resemblance,” the man on the right said, stepping forward to take Skye’s hand smoothly.

She might have laughed if she didn’t feel like she might be sick all over the floor.

“Don’t listen to them; they think they’re funny.” Elyza pointed at each in turn. “Declan, Dash, this is Skye Wellington.” Pointing behind her, Elyza added, “And this is the brother we adopted, whether he wanted us or not, Rabble.” Elyza smiled affectionately at her brothers, including Rabble in her look.

Skye’s back went ramrod straight, her breathing shallow and the awful feeling of panic swelled in her chest. Her head shook back and forth, tendrils of her honey-blonde hair escaping her ponytail to catch on the damp skin by her ears.No. No. No.

Those eyes. They crashed into hers, sparking with recognition and smoldering with something Skye wasn’t prepared to acknowledge. She choked.

What was that emotion there? Was that…anger? Why would he be angry? What right does he have?

Annoyance and her own rising anger slowly took over the panic flooding her, blotting out the frantic feeling that threatened to pull her under. She could barely form a coherent thought now, her temper climbing.

“Mr. Raden,” Skye said, pleased and surprised her voice came out even when nothing about her felt as centered as she sounded.

The look of apprehension that passed between the three siblings spoke volumes. Skye hadn’t spoken of her past with Elyza, or with anyone else for that matter. Based on the startled expression the siblings shared, Rabble must not have mentioned anything either. The tension built between them and hung in the air like a wet blanket.

This was too much. Seeing him, the memories that came with him, everything he represented. It was all too much.

Skye had been doing a decent job faking her energy level for the sake of those around her and her pathetic attempt to manifest a few molecules of dopamine, but now her strength wanned. She was done. She barely managed to force herself outside today, let alone deal with the emotions that wrecked her every time she thought about Rabble and their time together. That final year together. That last day.

With a small, shaky wave of her hand and a smile that felt more like a grimace, Skye did an about-face and rushed out the way she’d come in.

The bell’s chime didn’t sound nearly as merry as she yanked the door against it, the clanging sound sawing at her nerves. She gritted her teeth, barely keeping herself from breaking into a full run right there on the sidewalk, settling instead for something between a sprint and a canter. Her focus went entirely into putting as much space between her and Rabble as quickly as possible.

“Skye! Skye, wait!” Elyza shouted behind her.

A part of her wanted to keep going, to ignore her friend, and just make it back to her SUV. If she could do that, she could easily drive home and hide forever under her blankets. As a teacher at the height of summer break, she didn’t need to leave her house for the next several weeks. The darker part of her, the part that did everything in her power to avoid disappointing anyone, the part she tried so hard to hold back, demanded she slow to a stop beneath a large shady tree and wait for her friend while her chest heaved deep breaths in and out.

“Hey girl, what the hell was that?” Elyza caught up and clasped her shoulder, spinning Skye around to face her.

It took Skye a moment to lift her eyes to Elyza’s face, expecting anger or judgment. Instead, all she saw was deeply rootedcompassion and a desire to help. Elyza’s attitude toward the entire situation took Skye by surprise, considering her friend seemed to love Rabble like a brother, and Skye just took a mad dash out of the bridal shop to get away from him.

“S-sorry.” Skye cursed herself silently. She still sounded breathless, even to her own ears.

Elyza’s grasp fell to Skye’s upper arm, and she smiled slightly, “No need to be sorry. They can be a lot. Do you want to talk about it?”

Did she? Absolutely not. Should she? Skye wasn’t so sure. “There’s just a lot of history there.”

Skye smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner, but she was positive she looked like she was going to throw up.

Elyza seemed to consider if she would push the issue or leave it be. Discussing the history between her and Rabble would take a while and expose wounds that still festered, even eight years later. Thankfully, she didn’t press for details. Minutes passed in relative silence, the shrill screaming of cicadas in the trees the only real noise to interrupt the contemplative quiet. Elyza lingered with her friend for several minutes while the summer breeze swirled around them, rustling the leaves on the branches above them.

“Look,” Elyza said, her voice soothing, like she was speaking to a frightened animal.

Maybe that’s exactly what Skye was.

“I want to make sure you’re okay,” Elyza said. “Truly okay.”

Skye nodded, her lips twisting up into a semblance of a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Go on back to the shop. I’ve got to get going home anyway. Laundry won’t do itself.”

She’d hoped Elyza would laugh, chuckle, or snort at Skye’s ridiculous attempt at humor, but she didn’t do any of those things. Instead, she pulled Skye into a hug, the kind that seepedinto all the cracks she hid and did its best to heal, and waited for Skye to pull away first before releasing her.

They parted ways with Elyza heading back to The Wild Bride and Skye to her car, determined to fold and put away some laundry now that she’d used it as an excuse for escape. Getting out of the house had been the plan, and she succeeded in that journey. Now, it was time to go back to the comfort and safety of her own space, where there were no unexpected events to occur, no unwanted old acquaintances to run into.

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