Can’t hide anymore.
“Jess.” My voice comes out muffled through the mask. “Please.”
She stops halfway between sitting and standing.
Ethan watches us both. Silent. Letting his sister handle this her way.
I reach up with my good hand.
Remove the cap first. Then the mask.
Let them see what’s left.
All of it.
Everything the bear left behind.
Jess’s eyes widen. Her hand goes to her mouth.
My heart rate is going through the roof, but I just stand there.
Exposed.
Waiting for whatever comes next.
50
Jess
When Marco’s hand reaches up to pull off the cap, my whole body tenses like I’m about to watch a horror movie reveal.
Brace yourself.
Remember, it doesn’t matter what he looks like.
You’re a good person who doesn’t judge people by their scars.
Except when the N95 mask comes off and I actually see his face, my brain completely short-circuits.
Because holy shit.
He doesn’t look bad at all.
Sure, there are fresh bruises that bloom across his cheekbone. And scabs dot his jaw where Ethan’s knuckles clearly made contact. And yeah, the bear scars are there. The thick ridge running from his cheekbone down to his jaw. The claw tracks across his forehead.
But somehow it all just makes him look more dangerous. More real. Like a warrior who fought a literal bear and lived to tell about it.
The scars don’t diminish him at all.
They just prove his courage.
And he’s still stupidly, unfairly hot.
Maybe even hotter than before, if I’m being completely honest with myself.
Great. So much for not being shallow.
I realize I’ve been standing frozen like an idiot, with my hand at my mouth, so I sit back down. Hard. The chair scrapes against the floor way too loud.
