Lela could barely see her surroundings with the tears blurring her vision. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, banging loudly against her rib cage as Teagan's horse ran with her on his back. She shut her eyes, taking controlled breaths as the soft forest wind brushed through her hair. She ignored everything else, including Teagan behind her, focusing her attention on the sound of the horse's galloping hooves, and only opened her eyes when the horse stopped running.
"Here," Teagan offered his right hand to Lela to help her down, a small smile that didn't reach his eyes on his face as he looked up at her. He was smiling to help her feel better but it only made her feel pathetic, he had seen her ugly cry, he had seen her be helpless, and he made her feel indebted to him with how he was always helping her.
