Louis Cox held Maeve in his arms, with Mason Sutton and Mia Ginger, the four of them saying goodbye at the school gate.
His mind was a blank.
He had no awareness of what he was thinking.
It seemed as though he was thinking nothing.
Yet, his thin lips formed a sharp line.
The hand gripping the steering wheel was tense, the suppressed anger causing veins to throb subtly.
He thought of Mia Ginger's feelings.
Faced with his harsh words, the young girl might be scared and wronged, might be lost and disheartened, perhaps not even having lunch, tearfully returning to the dormitory.
Thinking of this made his heart ache.
Because of that heartache, even though he had left so far, he couldn't move forward.
He turned around and came back.
Thinking, no matter what, it's best to meet face to face.
She had just been wronged the day before yesterday, without a phone at the moment, so even if he was angry, this was not the time to lose his temper.
But then?
He saw a smiling Mia Ginger.
