26
DANTE
"There's something you should know about me, Dante," I say.
He turns to look at me. “What is it?”
I take a deep breath, feeling unsure.
It's half past noon, and we're on our way to the fashion show. Earlier this morning, he took me to a designer store and bought me a gorgeous dress to wear for the event. I feel like a princess in it.
"I don't like crowds," I say. “They make me anxious, and I’m more prone to panic attacks when I'm surrounded by too many people."
"Is there a reason for that?" he asks.
There's a weight in my chest. It feels uncomfortable to be speaking about one of my many defects. But I push past that feeling because he's done the same for me.
"I've always felt like a freak," I say. "Like there's something abnormal about me and my life. And when I'm in crowded places, it's only heightened. It's a reminder of how far from normal my life is."
"You'd be surprised how many people feel that way," he says. "They may not have the same story as you, but you're not alone in the way you feel."
"Do you feel like a freak, too?" I ask, looking at him.
"We're all freaks, love," he says, his hand coming to rest on my thigh. He squeezes it possessively.
The city looks even prettier in the daytime, but I can't seem to stop looking at Dante. Something had changed between us this morning.
Maybe it’s because we finally surrendered to this energy between us. Maybe it's because we kissed for the first time.
When I woke up this morning, I got this feeling that I’mexactlywhere I'm supposed to be.
There wasn't even a whisper of uncertainty in my head.
Waking up in this man’s arms is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
“We can skip the event,” Dante says. “I can plan a private meeting with the families later.”
“I’m already all dressed up,” I say, glancing down at my creamy-white dress. “And I want to see the fashion show. I think it’ll be an interesting experience.”
“Are you certain?” he asks.
I almost tell him the truth. I want to tell him that he has a calming effect on me. For whatever reason, just being next to him makes me feel stronger.
But it feels like it's too soon to be saying those kinds of things to him.
"I'll be fine,” I say.
He clears his throat. "There's something I need to tell you as well."
"Oh?"
"The fashion show doesn't start for another hour," he says. "We’re making a stop on the way."
He glances at me for a moment, then looks back at the road.
"When I woke up this morning, there was only one thing on my mind," he says. “All I could think about was making you mine.In every way.”
He says that so casually, like it doesn't make my heart skip a beat.
