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Words lodge in my throat, and it takes me a minute to find my voice. “But… she’s your best friend. You should tell her.”
“I can’t.” Her bangs swish as she shakes her head. “I don’t want anyone to know. Please…” She looks up, hitting me with that green gaze of hers. It’s bright with desperation. “If you hadn’t seen me this morning, you wouldn’t know either. So just… promise me you won’t say a word to anyone.” She closes her eyes, softly mumbling, “I’m so ashamed.”
“Of what?” I lean forward, completely confused by the last thing she just said. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You didn’t deserve a boot in the back.”
Her jaw trembles as she sniffs and starts drawing lines on the table.
“Rachel, look at me.” Her eyes slowly track to mine. They’re wide and vulnerable, looking almost too big for her narrow face. I soften my voice to a whisper. “Whatever you think you did, you don’t deserve to be treated that way. Nobody does. I don’t give a fuck if you burned his dinner or said the wrong thing. He has no right to punch and kick you, ever.” My voice starts to rise without my say-so, but I have to get my point across.
Like hell she’s taking any responsibility for this. There is never an excuse to beat on an innocent person. Never.
Rachel blinks at tears, biting her lips together and nodding.
I reach for her hand, brushing my fingers over the top of it. “You understand that, right?”
After a soft huff, she says, “Of course I do. That’s why I ran. I wasn’t sticking around for some lame apology after what he did and what?—”
Her voice cuts off, and fear pinches me in the chest.
There’s something she’s not saying, and it’s making my stomach roil.
Fuck.
Did he do more than just beat her?
She sniffs. “But I… I fell for him. I fell hard and fast and believed everything he said to me. And it’s… so humiliating. It makes me feel like I’m gullible and pathetic.” She sucks in a ragged breath. “He just seemed so sweet and attentive. I thought he was the nicest guy. I went on and on about how amazing he was. I moved in with him after such a short time of dating. I gave him my virginity. I?—”
“Hey,” I interrupt in a bid to calm her down. Her voice is starting to pitch and rise, snot is now dribbling from her right nostril, and tears are trickling down both cheeks. I pass her a paper napkin. “You’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. He’s the one at fault here. He led you on. He deceived you.”
“And I was stupid enough to be deceived.” She mops up her face, balling the napkin within her fist and frowning at me.
I reach for her hand, opening my palm on the table, but she doesn’t take it.
“You’re not stupid, you just have a gentle heart. And unfortunately, assholes like your ex can fool you. Don’t lose who you are because of him.”
She gives me a weak smile, her fingers finally resting on my skin.
I give them a light squeeze and smile at her. “I’ve only known you one day and I can already tell I’m gonna like you a lot. I mean, I already like you, but you know…” I wink. “You’re gonna burrow.”
“Burrow?” Her head tips.
“You know… find a place in my heart.”
Shit, I can’t believe I’m saying this stuff to her. She’s just escaped an ex who turned out to be a total fuckwit, and here’s me telling her she has a place in my heart. What the hell is wrong with me?
I need to stop talking… like right now.
CHAPTER 7
RACHEL
I’m gonna burrow?
How cute is this guy?
My insides want to melt into a puddle of goo. That’s the sweetest thing.
But Theo was sweet, too, and I let myself be fooled by his charm. I let myself believe he was the one. That he’d love me forever and keep me safe.
