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She hands me a spoon.
A few moments of silence pass as we taste it.
“What about you?” I ask. “Why did you leave home?”
Her expression changes, her face looking pale in the dimness.
“It wasn’t only one thing. Like you, I had a normal life. At least that’s how it looked to me. But unlike my sisters, I always had this rebel streak in me, so I had a hard time getting with the program. I was a good student. I enjoyed school, believe it or not, but as I grew older, I realized what kind of life awaited me. Everything was painstakingly planned by my family. My life, my career, and even my husband. He had to be vetted by them, most likely older, preferably wealthier than us. According to them, all I needed to do was to submit to him for the common good, to protect their interests. The husband would’ve been nothing more than a proxy for my family. They had everything planned out for me when I hadn’t even been kissed. They didn’t know I wouldn't react well when forced into submission.”
A smile tickles my lips. I shift my gaze away from her and focus on my dessert.
“That is different...” she murmurs.
I chuckle.
“Uh-huh.”
“It is...” she says, and I bring my gaze to her.
Her grin makes her so beautiful.
“Sure, sweetheart. So, what’s the deal with your sexual preferences?”
Her smile fades away.
“You’re not gonna tell me, are you?”
Her eyes fill with dread, and my smirk falls from my lips.
A storm of emotions rolls over her face, dragging a dark shadow over her eyes.
“It’s not...” she says, her voice breaking.
Panic sets in her eyes and her breaths become shallow. She tosses the cup on the table and darts outside. I push up to my feet and follow her.
I find her by the door, bent over, trying to breathe. Big drops of rain stain her thin T-shirt.
“You okay?”
She nods, wheezing.
My fingers splay across her back. She’s warm beneath my touch, still breathing shallowly, but the rain is cold and unforgiving.
Her top is drenched.
“Let’s go inside,” I say.
Unable to unclench her jaw, she only shakes her head.
I slip my hand under her T-shirt. Goosebumps dot her skin beneath my touch. The new sensation snaps her brain out of the panic loop.
She straightens, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling, her long hair soaked with rain.
Raindrops fall from her eyelashes.
She blinks as I slip my hands to her face. She looks at me, wounded, broken, and defeated.
I’ve never seen a woman so strong and yet so vulnerable.
