Chapter Seventy-Six

He grabbed my chair before I could stand, pulling it closer to him. “No, it’s not you, it’s…” he whispered harshly, his jaw ticking as his eyes found mine. “Can we not talk about it now?” He begged, his eyes storming over. 

He sat up straighter, his hand still on my chair.

“Okay,” I said softly.

He relaxed slightly in his chair, his eyes still on the lookout for Gary and Portia to come back. His chest rose more intently while his jaw ticked. If it weren’t me, then what had him so high strung?

Eyeing his hand that was still grasping the armrest of my chair, I bravely covered his hand with mine, and to my surprise, he laced our fingers together, giving my hand a squeeze. His shoulders relaxed, and his eyelids closed. Still confused with what was bothering him, the small contact eased my unsettled stomach. Whatever he was upset about was bigger than me.

Gary and Portia were heading back out, and