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He heard her giggling. “You have the smuttiest mouth, Tor Arquin.”
“Shit, baby, I’m sorry. That wasn’t at all a romantic thing to say, but fuck… it’s true…”
She took his hand up to her lips and kissed it, and his heart nearly burst in his big green chest.
“So, um, are we—I mean, does this mean we’re actually dating?” he asked.
“Yes, I guess it does.”
Tor sighed, buried his nose in her neck and inhaled deeply. “I think I’ve just died and gone to heaven.” Silence reigned while she held on tight to his hand and he held on to her.
“Tor?”
“Yes?”
“I’d love to see the house you grew up in.”
He stiffened slightly, and clearly she sensed it.
She turned her head. “What’s wrong?”
Egh. How to tell her that he still felt the same old embarrassment at his home, the way his family lived in the traditional orc style. “It’s just… It’s not worth seeing, really. You’d probably find it very basic, not your style at all.”
“I don’t care, Tor. Underneath my designer suits and make-up, I’m just an ordinary girl.”
He snorted. “You’re a goddess.”
At that, she turned fully round to face him, her eyes serious as she gazed into his.
“Honestly, it’s just luck of the draw. I didn’t do anything to deserve it, it’s what I got dealt by nature, that’s all. And it’s caused me problems too.”
“How come?”
She huffed a sigh. “When you’re admired only for your appearance, it’s like you’re just a sparkly bauble to be paraded around, a trophy to be admired. When I was young, I had no idea that the way I looked had the power to hurt me.”
“In what way?”
“I was naïve. I thought it was a fun game, being pretty. Until it drew attention I couldn’t handle.”
He hesitated, stroking her cheek.
“I hope you know that’s not how I see you. As a trophy.”
She pulled a face. “After the mess I’m in this evening? No, Tor. You’ve seen me in my oldest tracksuit with my swollen period belly.”
“And your mascara’s all run, by the way.”
“Has it?”
“Yep. Right now you look like a panda bear.”
“See what I mean?” She laughed softly. “Beauty. It’s all a mirage. When you see me with no make-up on at all, you won’t even recognize me.”
“Of course I will.”
“I bet you won’t. My eyes disappear because my lashes are so pale and my hair and skin tone kind of merge. I wouldn’t turn a head in the street.”
“Hey, pet, what is this? You think I would no longer be interested if I saw you without make-up?”
