His face drops and I realize how badly that came out. I just prefer to avoid spending time with strangers. I don’t want to see anyone I’m not familiar with.

I want to explain, but my mind empties, and my lips stay shut.

He walks away.

CHAPTER FIVE

INDIGO

This time, Elias dropped Olivia off at the door and left. I feel bad because he’s clearly taken what I said to heart. I do anything to remove people from my life. It’s kind of a habit now.

“You know, my brother is a really respectful guy,” Liv says, raising her brows at me.

“And?” I say as I grab the remote and fall back onto the enormous couch.

After years of financial struggles, my grandma had all the money in the world and the best her wealth could leave me was her home. She had a big living room, large windows, an open kitchen, and a space dedicated to movie night.

We used to have a lot of those. She loved Indian shows. So much beautiful drama.

“And he always stops by to say hi,” Liv continues.

“Uh-huh.” Ignoring her, I turn the TV volume up, ready to watch episode two of a new series. There’s nothing ground-breaking about it, but it’s good enough to keep my mind from wandering.

Olivia takes the remote and turns it off. I curse under my breath, trying to keep myself calm in front of her. She is still a child, after all. And too damn smart.

“What happened?” Liv demands, turning her body to face me.

She has a serious expression that makes me mad. Eyebrows up, mouth set in a hard line, and arms crossed over her chest.

I throw my head back onto a cushion, a groan slipping from my lips. She can be so nosy sometimes. Especially if it involves someone she cares about.

“Nothing happened,” I tell her.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“Really?” Her brows do a weird wiggle and she smacks my arm. “I’m serious, Blue. What happened?”

“First, ouch. That was totally not needed, thank you. And second, this is none of your business.”

For a moment, she looks hurt, making me regret what I said. That’s exactly why I don’t do relationships. Of any kind. They’re far too complicated. You need to be careful with everything you say. I’m really trying and I still mess it up.

“You know I don’t do well with people,” I confess, waiting for her agreement. After she nods, I continue, “So I got scared and told him that next time he could go directly to the tree.”

She sighs. “You need to go out there and talk to him.”

I look at her like she’s grown another head. That’s the last thing I want to do right now. Talk to him about what? He can’t possibly understand why I said that. So why bother?