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When it was empty, we placed our spoons inside and set it on the coffee table in front of us. The TV was off and a couple lamps were on, but most of the light came from the city through the window.
Her hand slid underneath my shirt and rubbed over my chest, her head resting against my shoulder. She smelled like a fresh shower, like she’d rinsed off after a long day at the office with her father. Her feet were between my knees, her toenails painted black.
I turned into her, smelling her hair, the smell of roses and lavender.
She didn’t burden me with questions. She just sat there with me.
My fingers started at her ankle then moved up her shin to her knee, her legs so soft and smooth. Everything about her was perfect. “How was your day?”
“Ordinary.”
“How’s your father?”
“We haven’t talked much because he’s been busy. But he seems normal,” she said. “How did you get here?”
“I walked.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “I’m sure they’re only watching the main gate and watching the cars that come and go. Not expecting me to take the side gate into the alley of the next building.”
“I feel bad you walked all the way here.”
“I didn’t mind.” I’d needed it. Needed the fresh air instead of the smoke of a cigar.
“I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“So quiet. You haven’t smiled once.”
That pulled a grin from my lips.
“There you go.” She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek then sprinkled kisses along my hard jawline, her hand moving across my chest at the same time, showering me in affection she’d never given me before. Our relationship was different now. I could feel it…and I liked it. Her hand cupped my cheek, and she turned my face toward her, bringing my eyes to her face. Her fingers continued to feel my jawline, to feel the coarse hair that was rough to the touch. Again, she didn’t ask me anything, just stared at me, her eyes so loving and confident.
Fuck, she gave me chills. No woman had ever done that. “When all that shit went down with my ex, I assumed my parents would see right through it. And at first, they were on my side but only hesitantly. When my ex released more ‘evidence,’ they quickly turned on me. They disowned me, and it’s been that way for years now.”
Her entire body stilled when she heard all of that, her eyes widening in shock then narrowing in pity. “Jesus…”
“I met with them today because we have a family business that’s been in the family for generations, and they’re always searching for a loophole to get rid of me. Last time, my dad tried to buy me out. This time, he decided to sue me.”
“How could they not believe their own son?”
“I don’t know,” I said quietly. “They raised me. They know me. I’ve never demonstrated that sort of behavior, ever. Was never disciplined for wrongdoing. The worst thing I ever did was sneak my high school girlfriend into the house for a sleepover.”
“And even if you did do it, they should stand by you anyway,” she said. “There’s nothing I could ever do to make my father turn his back on me, to stop loving me. That’s how it should be, and their treatment of you is just wrong.”
I stared at the blank TV screen, seeing our dark silhouettes in the reflection. “It is what it is.”
“I’m sorry, Axel.”
I continued to stare at the screen because it was too hard to look at her. The emotions were like poison seeping into my organs, slowly making me sick and weak. “It’s shitty, but there’s nothing I can do about it, so…”
“Have you tried talking to them?”
“They won’t even look at me,” I snapped. “I tell them I’m innocent, and it’s like they don’t even hear me. They look at me like I’m crazy. They tiptoe around me like I’ll hurt them. Now I’m in a life of crime so they detest me even more, but I don’t care.”
She was quiet for a while. “Is that why you got into the game? They already thought the worst of you, so you may as well be the worst?”
