She doesn't reply.
"I know somethings been on your mind. That something is wrong. I just don't know what it is."
Her eyes shine slightly, but she doesn't let anything fall.
"I think I just... shut down," she admits. "And that wasn't fair."
"You're allowed to shut down," I say softly.
"Not with you."
That breaks something in my chest.
"I don't want us to be careful with each other," she continues. "We've never had to be."
My throat tightens. "I don't want that either."
We sit there for a second longer.
Then she looks at me properly.
"Are we okay?" she asks.
It's the most vulnerable I've ever heard her sound.
I move closer without thinking.
"We will be," I say. "We just need to be honest with each other from now on."
She tenses slightly, before taking a deep breath. "I slept with Leon."
For a second I don't know what to say.
"What?" I say quietly, unsure I heard her right. "Did you just say, Leon? My brother?"
"You've been sleeping with my brother." Her voice isn't accusatory. Just factual.
"We haven't actually . . . gone all the way, yet."
"What the hell have you been doing?"
I turn to stare at her, but she cringes, "Don't answer that."
A ringing sound cuts through the conversation, my phone lighting up with a call.
"Answer that, it's safer." Her eyes practically beg me to give her a break. Give her a second to get her thought aligned.
I shake my head and pick up the phone, swiping to answer the call, Asher low timbre slipping through the speaker.
"Is Lottie there? I haven't been able to find her."
"She is." I reply, and Charlie looks to me, raising a brow.
"Please tell me she's playing nice."
I smile, "She's not a dog."
He grumbles something under his breath.
