Luckily, the tension in my groin subsides, and I turn around with renewed confidence, ready to make a quick exit.
My plan is simple: grab the hangers, give them to her, if possible, cover her chest while doing that, and then collect my suit jacket.
It should go fast and be done in no time.
Avoiding her eyes, I reach the hangers and turn to her, when the desperation in her eyes hits me hard.
She throws a wrench into my plans as she slowly lets my jacket slide off her shoulders, exposing herself.
Naked from her chin to her shorts, she looks at me with innocent eyes. Those are the devil's eyes, tempting me, imploring me to lose my head.
I gently lift my arm so the hangers cover her chest. I do that. She drops them back where they were.
My eyes meet hers.
Her eyes bear tears.
Mine bear smoldering fire.
“We can’t do this, Leilani,” I say quietly. “Not now. Not ever. We’re not on the same side of this war. We can’t be friends. Besides, you’ve done enough stupid shit tonight. I’d say it’s enough. Put on a dress, and go straight to your room. Have a good night's sleep and think things through tomorrow morning. There are so many matters that need your attention.”
The more I speak, the more warm tears fill her eyes.
They threaten to break and stain her cheeks as I watch them bloom into pools of sadness.
I wish her pain meant something to me.
I wish she weren’t the mess she is.
In all fairness, she was born into an ugly world.
We all were.
And she’s bound to have a messy life.
Have my feelings for her changed throughout the evening?
Probably not.
She’s still a liability, but I can see the demarcation between the crazy woman who can turn on me in a second and the woman who feels trapped, who’s too young to be caged alive.
There’s life in this woman. Her skin, her hair, her lips. Her eyes. They are all beaming with life.
She has the body of a goddess.
She’s perfect in her own crazy way, but she’s not for me. I can’t afford her.
She’d bring me war and famine, even if in a metaphorical way.
“Do you understand?”
She nods, the miracle of tears held up together disappearing in a second as broken ones roll down her cheeks.
She’s no longer sultry, cheeky, conniving, or taunting.
She’s a vulnerable woman with no options and a bumpy road ahead.
“Then do what I just said.”
