Catching the Hero

Chapter Thirty: Things Not Said

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Chapter Thirty: Things Not Said

Jamie was right—as usual, when it came to me.

The comfortable chair and steamy room were exactly what I needed to relax and let go as much as I could.  A manicurist was painting a creamy pink onto Jamie’s fingernails a few feet away from me, while I lay across a reclined chair.

"… and maybe you should just tell him," Jamie said.

The massage therapist spread more of the sweet-smelling scrub onto by skin and tried to avoid getting it into my rapidly blinking eyes.

As I began to shake my head, the therapist placed her hands on my cheeks and held me still until I cooperated. Sheepishly, I said, "Sorry," before I continued speaking to Jamie. "Jay, I've thought about it, but we had a rocky patch for a bit. I don't know if it's too soon to jump into it again. It's only been a few months anyway..."

I heard Jamie's responsive snort across the double room. She replied, "Lay, we both know that little blip in your relationship is as good as forgotten for Trace."

"Yes, but it still happened."

"So what will over-thinking it do? You can't change it, but you can move on from it and make it better. Just tell him how you feel." She seemed so sure, but I felt the small strings of denial and nervousness dancing in my stomach at the thought of this.

Another frilly, fruity drink was set beside me as the massage therapist wiped the last of the face cream from my sensitive skin. I toyed with the colorful umbrella as I said, "Is six months too short to love someone? To really, really love them?"

"Not at all, as long as you know you really do. Plus, you said you feel like you’ve known him forever," Jamie replied, her eyes wandering down to my hands. "How many of those have you had?"

"Three."

"Good." She signaled an assistant and called for our bill, before directing her attention back to me. "Just tell him, okay? You know Trace. And if I'm right, then you won't regret it at all."

~~~~~~*~~~~~~

"And you're sure that this is a good idea?"

I nodded, and Raven let her long legs dangle further off the roof with a sigh. It was pitch black, the night before the impending masquerade, and Raven was the only super I had informed about Trace and I going. We had been sitting quietly on the edge of a white building, overlooking the cityscape and enjoying the clear night. Ryder was on his own, along with the rest of the supers who had decided to work solo tonight.

“I have to go. I feel like something big is going to happen, and I need to be there for it,” I said.

She nodded, wringing her hands in her lap. “Well, if anything goes wrong… just call me. I can get there somehow with help.”

“Thank you, Raven,” I told her.

We were silent for a moment, watching the still dark night. The occasional drifter would break the calmness of it, aimlessly walking through the otherwise empty streets several stories below where we sat. I found myself wondering about how peaceful it seemed to be, and how there seemed to be less and less activity with the villains…

Raven's voice brought me back to the present.

"I... I'm suspicious," she said.

I looked at her sideways, taking in the way she had her red hair tied messily into a ponytail. In honesty, she looked exhausted, and I became more concerned as I noticed the pallor of her skin.