Chapter 479: Rather be Invincible

Mina was not physically injured, but her feelings were hurt. She had believed that after experiencing an embarrassing situation together, then going on to enjoy the rest of their time at the beach, that President Lee was going to follow through with at least one of his promises. He had even given her his shirt, so that she would not have to go all the way back to the boardwalk and change, and while Mina once thought it was a sweet gesture, she now realized it was all in her mind.

Mina kept asking herself what dumb thing she had done to set the man off, but nothing came to mind. She had been sitting down, her legs were closed and crossed at the ankle, she was with Mills, and she had followed every safety instruction the men had given them, including having her phone at the ready in case she needed to contact one of them. Mina sighed, walking toward the ocean, rinsing her hands in the water before she sat in the sand and President Lee sat beside her.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, but Mina stayed quiet. "Mina you have to learn that there are some things women just should not do." She finally looked at the man, confusion written all over her face.

"You didn't even tell me what I did; you just attacked. I get that you were upset, but did you have to react so harshly?" Ian took a deep breath, because no he did not. She was not doing anything wrong; it was the men who were talking about her who deserved his anger, not Mina.

"Later, you can ask Mills why I reacted the way I did, and I apologize, but Mina, please don't do things that draw negative attention to yourself." Mina shook her head, not bothering to respond because there was no need for her to speak. He said what he had to say, and she said all that she would. She hugged her knees and stared out onto the ocean.

Mina stayed staring at the setting sun until the pink hues of the sky had nearly turned to dark blacks and blues; she removed her sunglasses, no longer needing them. Without pockets she held the lenses in her hand, but President Lee reached out and gently took them, sliding them into his pocket wordlessly. Mina stood up, brushed the sand from her rear, and was startled to see Drax and Mills cuddling in the sand not too far away.

Instead of going to bother them, Mina walked toward where the party she was invited to was supposed to be. She found Carson sitting on a log bench with a small fire lit in front of him. He noticed her at once and came jogging up with a huge smile. He was not too much taller, so Mina did not have to crane her neck to look at his face.

"You made it," he said. "You are a little early, but that is perfect. Come sit with me." Carson pulled Mina's elbow, leading her to the log where he had been sitting, then reached behind it and picked up a guitar.

"Are you in a band?" Mina asked, and Carson smiled. He stared at the woman, taking in the beauty of her face, the amber coloring of her eyes and playful beach waves that were courtesy of salt water and the sun.

"Nope," he replied as he strummed a few chords that Mina found pleasant.

"Original?" She asked, and the man nodded.

"I think I remember something about you singing. Is it real or promotional work?"

"I am a demo singer, but I have copyrighted songs. They have never been recorded though."

"Sing one of them, and I will play back up." Mina started to decline, but then Mills' words about new opportunities started to play in her mind and she hummed out a tune that Carson followed. When he got the melody right, Mina instructed him on the key he should use.

More people had gathered around the fire, and Mina did not notice President Lee staring at her from the other side. His entire mood was heavy, because he had once again pushed Mina away, and he was not sure he could draw her back in again. The day had been going perfectly after their snafu, and he had messed it up by allowing jealousy to get the better of him. Now, Mina would not even acknowledge his presence, even when he had been right next to her, which in a lot of ways, was worse than her walking away.

Drax and Mills soon came to find the pair, and Drax knowingly clasped Ian's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he saw the girl talking to a man that seemed to have her undivided attention. The man was playing something on a guitar, and Mina was humming along. Mills, wanting to get a better listen, went to sit closer to Mina, but Drax stayed by Ian's side.

"I take it that we are sleeping together again." Ian chuckled, knowing that his friend had intentionally phrased the statement to get a rise out of him, especially because Mina and Mills had been relentlessly teasing them about being a couple since Drax's allegation was made. "Let's get a little closer, we might as well enjoy ourselves since we are here." Ian moved close enough to hear Mina, but not too close because he was afraid that he may inadvertently ruin whatever mood she was in.

"I think we can take it from here," Carson said. After having gone through the melody several times, he felt confident that he could play along well, but Mina was not expecting the man to call everyone to her attention. She felt herself stiffen, and Carson apologized. "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, you do not have to sing if you do not want to. You don't owe anyone here anything." Mina nodded, but she closed her eyes and gestured for the man to start playing.

Despite having an upbeat melody, the lyrics of the song were depressing. Mina had written them after a difficult point in her life, where her parents went from begging her to be normal and make friends, to covering her up in giant clothing and locking her inside. She felt a swirl of emotion overtake her, as she recalled having received the approved copyright shortly after her sister's death. She remembered rummaging through Sadie's room, and finding the card that should have enclosed the copyright notice.

Mina remembered how worthless she felt back then, and how terrible she had been toward Sadie because she felt like her sister was choosing a man over her family. Mina remembered the fight they had, and she remembered her mother's words while she was breaking them part. Her voice cracked, and she stood up abruptly, excusing herself from the people listening. Mina roughly wiped at her tears, wishing that she had not because there must have been sand on her hands, and it chafed at the sunburn on her cheeks. She sat in the sand not too far away from the light of the fire and Carson came to sit next to her.

"Good music makes me run sometimes too," he teased, and Mina chuckled.

"I don't really like people looking at me to begin with, let alone see me cry." Carson let out a laugh that made her look at the man as if he had two heads, because what she said was not funny at all.

"Sorry, I just find it ridiculous that an actress and model just told me that she doesn't like to be looked at." Mina returned the laugh because it was ridiculous. "Okay, miss 'rather be invisible,' come back and sing something happy this time." The man stood and extended his hand to Mina, who reached out and took it, surprising even herself with the action.