“I invited her. Is everyone ready to eat?” Simon says.
I lead Stefania toward the dinner table, sitting her down next to me and pulling her chair a little closer. I don’t like the way Simon is friendly with her, but the way Bardil looks at her gives me the chills. I wouldn’t dare leave him alone with her. The hatred practically floods from his glare.
“We’re sharing food with the enemy now?” Bardil mutters, her eyes dragging toward her.
“Mind your mouth,” Simon warns him, protecting her. Why is he so protective of her? Do they have something going on between them? What happened when he saw her at the house today?
I grit my teeth and watch in silence as the dinner continues. Bardil has a few more sharp remarks. Simon continues to treat her like a dear friend. When the night is over, I can’t wait to get out of there, and I practically drag her to the car to leave as fast as possible.
It’s dark as we drive through the city toward home. Stefania can tell something is wrong. The tension hangs heavily in the air between us, and she keeps glancing at me, nervously twisting her fingers in her lap.Am I so naive that I was blinded by her pretty little face? Tricked by that sweet smile?I feel deceived. Betrayed by her and my brother.
“Marlen?” she says my name with caution, reaching out as though she wants to touch my leg.
I can’t keep it in any longer.
“Did you and Simon have a nice afternoon yesterday? A friendly visit? A secret rendezvous?” I snap angrily.
Her mouth drops open, and she stares at me in shock. “He told you?” she asks, a whisper.
“What do you think he told me, Stefania? Was there something specific to tell? Is there something going on between the two of you?”
She narrows her eyes and knits her brows together. “What are you talking about, Marlen?” she asks, confused. “I bumped into him by accident. It wasn’t some planned meeting.”
“And you decided not to tell me about this spontaneous, accidental meet-up?”
“I was trying to figure out how to deal with it,” she replies defensively. “It caught me off guard,”
“What caught you off guard?” I huff, turning the corner a little too sharply.
“His offer, Marlen. Will you please slow down!”
“Offer?” I break, and she gets pushed forward against the safety belt. Instantly, I feel bad, and with my hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel, I pull over to the side of the road.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” I mutter, reaching out and adjusting the safety belt for her. She pushes my hand away. “You didn’t hurt me,” she sighs. “But you’re acting like a crazy person.”
“Just tell me what happened with you and Simon. Why are you two so close?”
“We’re not close. He was kind to me, and I appreciated that. He offered…” She sighs heavily. “He offered to take me home if I wanted to go home,” she explains.
“He offered to take you home? When he stopped at my house?” I repeat in shock.
“Yes,” she nods.
“But you’re still…”
“I obviously didn’t take him up on the offer.” She throws her hands in the air, exasperated.
“Why?” I blurt out, confused as hell.
She didn’t even need to seduce the guy. He flat-out just gave her the chance to escape. A free ride to freedom.
“It doesn’t matter!” she shouts, her cheeks glowing red with frustration. “Can we please just go home now? I don’t want to sit on the side of the road arguing,” she huffs.
“No, I want to know why you wouldn’t jump at the opportunity,” I demand.
“Marlen, please, it doesn’t matter. Just leave it alone.”
“It matters to me, Stefania. I need to know,” I say, almost desperate to understand.
