This time he sidestepped my assault.
Cerise took a good look at him. “Ah! I see clearly now. You are hers. I see you with my favoriteÉtoilewhen I watch for her. You are quite handsome. All the girls say so.” She batted her wet lashes coquettishly.
“He knows,” I said.
He gave me a mean look.
I offered her a hand. She stared at it for some time before she took it. I wasn’t sure if she’d ever let go. A little prodding and the root of the problem finally surfaced. She was not fulfilling her prestigious dance school’s requirements. That’s all she had ever been—a dancer!—and if she did not succeed—life was not worth living!A dancer was all she ever wanted to be.What was a left-footed girl to do?
“Would you like me to help?” I offered.
She fell to the ground, but kept our hands locked.
Her round eyes looked up at me, the sun warming them to milk chocolate. “Oui.Oui.Oui.”
Brando didn’t mind me helping, so I spent two hours teaching her—and I felt the life in me once again. A reminder of something I had always wanted to do but never could find the time.
After the lesson, I offered to help her once a week, until she felt certain in her abilities.
“That was nice of you,” Brando said, biting into a strawberry after we saw her home.
We enjoyed the treats he brought—dark chocolate, strawberries, and fizzy water—as we strolled toward the apartment.
I licked my fingers. The chocolate had melted. “I still love it. Teaching.”
He stopped me. A few kids ran past, their voices carrying, playing some kind of game. A nice breeze swept by, rustling the baby strands of my hair that were not secure in the bun. The air had grown chillier.
“Yeah.” He hesitated. “Forgive me for that as well.”
“For?”
“I made you feel that teaching wasn’t worth your time.”
I nodded, refusing to dispute the truth.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice sincere, his eyes soft. He reached out and ran a hand over my head, setting the smaller pieces down. “I never thanked you for teaching Maggie Beautiful how to read. You gave her something that she can never lose. You made a difference in her life. You are my life.La mia vita,Scarlett Rose. You gave me the freedom to leave, to be able to do what I needed to do for the both of us.”
“I’m glad,” I said, trying not to choke up. He was the first person, apart from Maggie Beautiful, to ever give credence to something I chose to do for myself.
He pulled me against his heart, cradling me in his arms, and I knew the tight ball in my throat was not from his words alone. Sitting on the bench, the sun falling over me, I had felt more secure. Brave, even. Against him, I wanted to melt into his skin and have him carry me wherever he went.
He sensed this.
“You’ll write and send pictures. We’ll talk every day.”
I nodded against him.
“I’ll be back before you can even miss me.”
I nodded again.
He sighed. “You swore to me that you wouldn’t venture out too far. Or go anywhere alone at night. Tell me.”
“I promise,” I whispered, breathing him in. “Lo prometto.”
“You’re going to be fine.” He kissed the top of my head, keeping his lips there. “No one is going to hurt you.”
I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tighter.
