“But — !” She closed her mouth sharply. She’d survived the last few months of gradually increasing pressure; she could manage another few days. “Please don’t take too long,” she said instead, gaze steady on his face. “I — I’m sorry. Thank you for helping me.” She put a hand lightly on his arm and rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Isaac arched an eyebrow when she started protesting, but he was glad she stopped. “Don’t worry, I’ll text him now, I’m sure he’ll get back to me as soon as he can,” he said, and did as he’d said, quickly typing a message to Deaton, telling him an Empath girl was asking to meet him and if it was alright for him to bring her over to the animal shelter. He was surprised when she kissed his cheek, but accepted it with a smile. “I don’t mind helping you, but I’m not the trusting type. Nothing to do with you, I just got kicked in the nuts too many times.”
“Which is why you believed me when I said I wasn’t manipulating you. Mhm.” Summer tilted her head, raising one eyebrow skeptically. “There’s trust, and then there’s trust.” She sighed. “It’s enough.” Stepping away, she wandered over to look at the pictures, the evidence of a life still scattered about the house. “Is it okay to ask why you left here?”