Chapitre 23: Chapter 23: SILLA

Whoa, talk about sub-zero temperatures. I can still feel the chill minutes after he’d gone. I felt even more self-conscious than I had when I first walked into the room earlier. I’d been halfway down the stairs before I realized there was anyone in here, and with all eyes staring at me, was too gauche to turn and run back up the way I wanted to.

Those first few minutes after exchanging good mornings were nerve-wracking, to say the least, and in the end, it was the guys who made me feel more at ease. I got the feeling somehow that they were used to dealing with fractious females, the way they stayed a safe distance away, not invading my space even a little bit.

I learned to pick up on stuff like that from living with someone as volatile as Sam had been. The clichéd walking on eggshells comes to mind. And though I didn’t feel any imminent danger, it was obvious that they were giving me space, which in turn made me feel bad since I was the one invading theirs.