“That’s your fault.”
“Yeah,” he says, quiet now. “I’m starting to notice that.”
I take a bite just to give myself something to do, but it doesn’t help. Not when I can still feel him watching me.
“You always this quiet in the morning?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
I hesitate, staring at my plate.
“I’m just… trying to figure out if this is real.”
“It is.”
Simple. Certain.
My fingers tighten slightly around the fork.
“There are things you don’t know about me yet.”
“Then tell me.”
I exhale slowly.
“You know what Russel tried to do to me.”
His posture shifts, subtle but sharp.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve dated. I’ve kissed people. But…”
I swallow.
“I never trusted anyone enough to let it go further.”
Silence.
“I’m still a virgin.”
The words hang there.
He doesn’t react right away, doesn’t flinch, doesn’t look away.
Then he steps closer.
His hands come up, warm and steady, cupping my face and making me look at him, his thumbs brushing lightly over my cheeks.
“That’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
My breath catches.
“And it doesn’t change a damn thing.”
Something in me finally loosens.
