But to her surprise, he shook her hand off and turned away, leaving her with nothing but his back.
“I’m not gonna be with you. Don’t even think about it,” he said without a hint of hesitation.
From that moment on, it was as if a wall had risen between them.
He became a door she could never open, a hand that always slipped from hers, a conversation that was cut short before it could begin. He avoided her gaze like it was a burden he didn’t want to carry.
Just then, a sudden noise snapped her back to the present, and only then did he feel a lightness around her neck. She instinctively reached for her compass—only to find it missing.
Her eyes darted down, and there it was, lying at her feet. But she saw the needle had stopped moving. She knelt quickly to pick it up, but a dancer in the crowd accidentally stepped on her hand, grinding sand into her scraped skin. The sting quickly shot up her arm.
Before she could react, a large hand reached down and picked up the compass.
Startled, she looked up to see Terence standing right in front of her, his face closer than she expected.
Suddenly, a wave of frustration surged through her chest. Maybe it was anger at his recklessness the day before, or the way he had unfairly scolded her earlier that morning. Maybe it was the way he had just avoided her gaze at the celebration—or maybe it was the barley wine amplifying her buried grievances.
Without thinking, she snatched the compass out of his hand.
Third Person's POV
Terence frowned as he looked at Halle, his tone softening slightly. “It’s broken. Let me fix it, and I’ll give it back to you.”
His gaze then dropped to the scraped skin on the back of her hand. Impulsively, he grabbed her wrist. “What happened to your hand?”
But Halle quickly pulled her hand back, her eyes tinged red with unshed tears. “It’s none of your business,” she snapped, her voice trembling. “Both in compass and me, don't bother anymore. I’m done being a burden to you.”
Hearing her sharp words, a flicker of surprise flashed across Terence’s face. Something about her was different today—off.
This wasn’t the same Halle who quietly endured his scolding that morning, nor the one who usually sought his help. This Halle was resolute, even distant.
After a brief pause, Terence let out a cold laugh, tossing a dismissive comment over his shoulder as he walked away. “Halle, playing hard to get won’t work on me.”