Beautifully Broken

7

Mina

Cole doesn't say anything on the way back. He seems lost in a peaceful trance.

"Cole?" I ask, smiling as he continues to walk.

"Hm?"

"What happened to you?"

He looks at me like I'm crazy. "What happened to me? We should be talking about what happened to you."

And cue the disappearance of his trance. He's back to his original state. Haha.

"You were in a trance. It was nice. Seeing you peaceful and thoughtful, no worries." I explain.

He smiles. "I guess. The only thing I'm worried about is you."

I try to calm my heart. This shouldn't make me feel giddy inside. It's never made me feel giddy inside.

"You shouldn't be. I can handle things on my own." I reply.

"I know. You're a strong girl. But you don't have to do it all on your own." He says, trying to make me look at him.

"Cole-"

"Mina." I give up and look up at him.

"We're going to the house and you're going to enjoy tonight and be okay. You're going to see how much we care about you. How much I care about you. Okay?"

I nod like a little girl and he chuckles. He puts an arm around me and we walk back.

He leads me to the backyard where Charity waits against the tree with my treehouse.

I haven't met with her in so long. She's also been busy at work in the city and I only see her on weekends if she's free.

She smiles at me. "Let's go to our picnic place. Then later, well... Cole has a surprise too."

I look back at him but he's gone.

"Ready?" She asks, holding out her hand. I nod and smile, taking her hand.

We walk into the forest but to the left side, away from where the other neighborhood waits on the other side of the forest.

There's a clearing where the trees seem to bend and form a roof, where sunlight is filtered and shines in small spotlights onto a crystal clear pond and rich green grass.

Charity had a basket in her arm and she spreads out the blanket.

I try to help but she shoos me away. "You've already been through so much. Let me do this for you."

I watch in amazement as she sets everything up gracefully. The Ramsey's are just different. They're so kind and generous- I don't get how they could seem so out of reach.

"We're not perfect." Charity says with a knowing smile.

"What?" I ask, snapping out my thoughts.

"Your face. You had that expression again. It may have been a while since we last had our girl talk but you're still my little sister." She says. "Come on, let's relax."

I sit beside her and we eat while basking in the forest atmosphere.

"So what has really been going on, Mina? You used to tell me everything. Next to Cole, as far as I know."

I smile. "Yeah... I guess growing up has its downsides."

She nods, waiting for further explanation.

I take a deep breath. "Okay. I guess you should know everything. I haven't told Cole the latest update. It's too hard, Charity. Too painful. I feel so, so-"