“Hey,” Mirabelle says softly from the bars of my cell door.
My hands fall away from my head. I stand frozen in the center of my stable, unsure what to do.
The others can all tell her what they want. And she does it.
Can I do that too?
But what if she says no?
I don’t know if I can handle that.
“You—you were really upset earlier,” she says, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Were you mad at me?”
I shake my head. Back and forth. Back and forth.
No. Never.
I’m never mad at her.
“Okay.” A smile tugs at her lips. “That’s good. I was worried there for a second.”
Her smile makes my breath hitch in my chest.
I missed her.
So much.
I was so afraid and so angry when she disappeared.
The others try. Rowan, Ash, and Griffin. They’ve tried a lot more since Mirabelle came into the picture.
But no one would talk to me in the way she does.
I creep towards the door, bracing myself for her to tell me to stop. A single harsh word. A single flinch and I think I would’ve fallen apart.
But she continues to smile brightly at me like there’s no reason for her to do anything but smile at me.
I reach tentatively through the bars, brushing my thumb against her lips.
She swallows hard, her smile dropping ever so slightly and I jerk my hand back.
She reaches up, her own fingertips brushing against where I just touched.
“I’m not sure what you’re saying here. Or asking for. You could be saying you like my smile, but you’ve told me that before. I also just kissed Ash,” she rambles, glancing up at me through her lashes. “Are you asking for a kiss, Rage?”
Her pulse flutters at her neck, betraying her nervousness.
Is it because of the kiss or because she’s afraid?
I take a deep breath, her sweet strawberry scent filling my lungs.
Sweet. Not sour.
She’s not afraid.
I clear my throat. My throat feels swollen. Like I was choked.
I don’t know how much of the feeling is real or in my head. I haven’t even wanted to talk in so long.
