I nod to the drawer in front of her.
“So tell me, why is it you didn’t have plans tonight?”
She raises a brow and glances at me as she picks up a bowl and starts to dry.
“Why didn’t you?”
I laugh and shake my head. “Touché. Okay, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
She nods in agreement. “You go first.”
“Ric isn’t here, therefore I can be my usual boring self, avoiding people and staying at home.”
Much like Rainbow, he’s an extrovert and a people person. Whereas, I’m not so much.
“I was invited out with the girls from work, but I just wasn’t feeling it.”
I study her because there’s something more to it than that. I don’t know how I know— I just do.
“And?” I prompt.
She looks heavenward and then back to me. “I sometimes feel like I don’t quite fit. I mean, look at me. Plus, I know I’m a bit much, and honestly, it’s easier to stay in than force myself to retreat into myself when I’m out.”
I frown, hating how defeated she sounds. I know everyone has insecurities, but seeing them first-hand from her, of all people, is like a kick to the chest. I stop what I’m doing and lean my hip on the edge of the sink.
“Rainbow, look at me.”
She stops drying the bowl, her eyes rising to meet mine. “There’s fuck all wrong with you. You’re not too much, you have substance. You’re kind, friendly, outgoing, and you should be unapologetically you—always. You’re not a follower, you’re a trendsetter. And as for how you look, you are fucking stunning.”
Her lips rise in a genuine smile at my little speech, but it’s bloody true.
“And whoever these people are who are making you feel less than are not your people. Do you hear me?”
She smiles. “Yes, I hear you. And to be fair, I’ve made some friends since being here.Abi and Ari are lovely.”
“Oh yeah. Ari, as in Harrison and Hunter’s girlfriend?”
The guys run in the same circles as we do and are both head over heels for their step-sister Ari. Well, soon to be ex-step-sister. Abi is her best friend and where you’ll find one, you’ll usually find the other.
She nods. “Yeah, I forgot that you and Ric know the twins.”
“They’re good guys,” I say with a shrug.
“Yeah, unlike some of the people I work with who are questionable at best.”
I hate the way her shoulders pull in on themselves, and that anyone makes her feel less than how she deserves. “Well, don’t and never let anyone else dim your light, Rainbow. Your radiance is one of the things I love about you.”
Her lips part on a gasp. Okay, so that wasn’t what I was meant to say, or was it? Fuck if I know.
The air grows thick, and I clear my throat as I turn back to finish washing the last of the cutlery, as she continues to dry in silence. For the first time since she’s been here, I’m worried I might have fucked up.
But when I look over at her and see she’s smiling, the tightness in my chest eases.
“Now, how about some dessert?” I suggest, taking the last piece of cutlery from her, dropping it into the drawer, pushing it closed, and backing her up against the counter.
Chapter 12
Rainbow
