I dropped my head to my knees, trying to hide. I sobbed as he slid under the space in the door. His arms encasing me, his presence suffocating me, begging me to let go.
Fall.
Fall into the waters with me.
Drown.
With me.
His lips at my ear, his bruising grip on my hips, his hurtful words striking true. His words hissed in the shadows:You belong in the dark, Vera. Broken things don’t get to leave.
“Stop,” I sobbed into my knees. “Please, stop.”
My phone dinged.
I gasped, the past vanishing. I fumbled for the device, desperate for Uriel’s name. I needed the “Good Guy” to tell me I was safe.
It lit up, and my breath hitched at the name on the screen. The man who promised the dark, rough, overwhelming heat my trauma thrived on.Dane. Not Uriel. The name stared at me likea mirror. I felt seen. I sobbed, unlocking and opening his Snarl with trembling fingers.
Dane: Hey, Babygirl.
Dane: I’ve missed you.
Is it possible to love a man I’ve never met?
Definitely not.
I threw my head back and laughed.Knots. I was going crazy. The first guy to call me baby girl and I was thinking I was in love. I lowered my chin, staring at the screen. Still, I was thankful. He got me to snap out of it. This beautiful red flag saved me from my panic attack. I took a deep breath, attempting to pull myself together before tapping out my response.
Me: Hi.
Dane: What have you been up to?
Me: I was out today. Went on a date.
Should I have lied? Maybe. Did I want to? No. I wanted to be open with someone, needed to have a conversation where I didn’t have to think before I answered. It was pathetic.Iwas pathetic. But I was holding onto this conversation like a lifeline. The sudden rhythm of the three gray dots dancing on the screen broke my trance. He was typing. The sight of it snatched the air from my lungs, dragging me back from the edge of my spiral and pinning me to the present.
Dane: And how’d that go?
Dane: Did you have a good time?
Me: It went.
Me: He was nice.
Dane: Nice, huh?
Me: Yeah lol
Dane: So he’s a nice guy?
Me: Yes. He’s very nice.
Dane: Mm.. I didn’t know you liked nice guys.
Me: Did I say I liked nice guys?
Dane: You didn’t say you didn’t.
