Slowly, Vanessa pulls herself together, standing, but on legs that remain wobbly, a haunted expression still on her face. She stands there, rubbing her forehead and looking off in the distance. “I’m fine,” she finally says. “Let’s just go.”
We finish our shopping within minutes, Vanessa grabbing some other food items, then pulling the end of the cart toward checkout with a newfound sense of urgency. We pay for our food separately, despite my offer to pay for all of it. Vanessa waves a dismissive hand at me without looking as she puts a divider between our items on the conveyor belt.
I drive her to the bank, and she tells me to stay in the truck because she will not be long. I do not argue since I would prefer some space to figure out what I witnessed in the pasta aisle. There were no obvious insults in Beth’s words. Something about her mate being alone with her children. What was it that struck Vanessa so deeply?
Then it hits me. The name. It was when Beth uttered the name of her mate that Vanessa’s face turned white, and her eyes widened. What was the name? Something with a T?
“Okay,” Vanessa says as she climbs back into the passenger seat. “Told you I’d be quick.”
“Who is Trevor?”
Vanessa’s hands freeze, her seat belt an inch from being buckled. Then she blinks a few times, and her lips purse. “No one. Can we go?”
I move her hands away and buckle the seat belt for her. “That is what hurt you. When Beth said the name, you changed. Tell me why.” I take her hand in mine, merely to offer her comfort, but my skin prickles with something I cannot place the moment my skin brushes hers. “Who is Trevor? What has he done to you?”
I follow her eyes as they drop to our hands. For a moment, she looks as if she wants to tell me, as if this story about Trevor is burning her from the inside.
Then she rips her hand away. “Just…” she trails off. “Just don’t worry about it. He’s one of the many aspects of Sudbury that I hate and do my best to avoid every time I’m forced to come here.” She sighs as she rests her head against the window as I start the truck.
It is clear Trevor has caused her great pain, but what kind? Is it heartbreak? Did he abandon Vanessa to be with Beth? It is a scenario that does not make sense given how frigid and unpleasant Beth is, but not impossible, especially considering how fickle humans are with their romantic entanglements. They seem to discard the ones they love almost as often as they launder their bedsheets.
Divorce is not something that exists on my home planet of Sufoi. When a draxilio finds their mate, the bond is eternal. Though, without the guidance of mate signals and the unwavering strength of a mate bond once it is formed, I suppose we, too, would wander aimlessly through life looking for our perfect match.
“I merely wish to help you, Vanessa,” I finally say when I can no longer stand the quiet.
She turns, her expression puzzled. “Help me? How?”
I turn down the country road that will take us most of the way home. “Clearly this Trevor person has hurt you. Perhaps I can speak with him. Make it right.”
Vanessa barks out a laugh, then covers her mouth when she sees I am serious. She clears her throat. “That’s a nice offer, Axil, really, but that would be a complete waste of time.”
I open my mouth to protest, to tell her that Trevor is probably a reasonable man, and if he knew how much pain he has caused, he might apologize. That would be something, would it not? But Vanessa stops me.
“Don’t worry about it, and please don’t get involved. I’d like to forget about this whole thing.”
I nod, my muscles tight. “Very well.” I do not understand why, but knowing Vanessa is in pain rips at my insides. Also, knowing the person who caused this pain still roams the Earth and she refuses to do anything about it frustrates me to no end. She is a stubborn female.
I turn down Clarke Lane and pull into her short gravel driveway. I hop out and come around to her side to help her out of the truck, but by the time I get there, she is already down, with her grocery bags in hand. I offer to take them from her and carry them to the door, but she shakes her head. Vanessa is not used to being on the receiving end of manners, it seems. Why is chivalry so common among the love books I have read, but not done in real life? What has happened to men of this planet that they continue to fail at basic decency?
Suddenly, I am unsure what to do with my hands, so I clasp them behind my back. “Will you be looking for more letters today?”
She scratches the side of her head as if it is the furthest thing from her mind. Given how desperate she is to repair the house and sell it, I find this odd. “Yeah, probably.”
I decide I am tired of waiting on her to rely on others when she needs help. I reach into her purse and pull out her phone.
“Hey! What th— You can’t just reach into a woman’s bag,” she shrieks as she tries to snatch the phone out of my hand.
I hold the phone to her face in order to unlock the screen, and once I am in, I add my contact info and call my phone so that I may have her number as well. Handing it back, I say, “In case you come across a riddle you cannot solve.”
She takes it while still staring daggers at me. “Will do,” she adds with a nod.
When she is almost to the front door, I call out, “If you would like me to destroy this Trevor person for you, do let me know.”
Vanessa turns, a silent chuckle lighting up her heart-shaped face. “Don’t offer me a happy ending you can’t deliver, Axil.”
The door slams behind her, and I find myself eager to give Vanessa exactly what she wants, and more. So much more.
CHAPTER 8