Haven's life had a way of bending around the edges of peace, never letting him settle into any similarity of calm for long. Alexis had a fire in her, an energetic and defensive streak that, in certain circumstances, showed as animosity. That fire had been lit and fanned into full burst the minute Vanessa, Haven's ex-girlfriend, re-entered their lives.
Alexis saw it, felt it, and the feeling of being continually incited sent her into a moderate burn. That burn touched off into blazes the day Alexis chose she had had enough. It began with a message, an harmless content on Haven's phone that he had brushed off as aimless: "I miss our talks. Trust you're doing well." Vanessa's title showed up at the beat of the screen. He rejected it, told himself it wasn't worth bringing up to Alexis. A
