Page 41 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
“Let’s play a game,” I suggested, heading for the pool table.
She wrestled her hand free, and I turned to her, feeling slightly annoyed. However, she stood there with her arms crossed.
“You ask a person,” she reminded me.
I was about to tell her that I didn’t need to ask. I decided for both of us. But then I reminded myself why we were even playing this game.
“Okay. Would you like to play a game of pool?” I asked.
“Sure, but I’m not very good.”
“I’ll teach you.”
I fetched the cues, handing one to her and offering a small smile.
“Who taught you?” she asked. For a moment, I debated breaking character.
“Vince...”
“Really? I thought he only taught you how to be a vigilante,” she commented.
“No, he taught me many things,” I informed her.
“Such as?”
“18-year-old Jared hadn’t met him yet,” I reminded her.
“That’s not true. You left school before we even graduated. Besides, you know married people share,” Alison countered.
I sighed. “All right, he taught me how to be a person.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“I had nothing before. I was nothing before.”
“That’s not true,” she insisted, walking to the other side of the table and getting into position, clearly deciding to initiate the game.
“It is,” I persisted.
“No, you were a person. You may be quiet, but sometimes quiet people have more depth than others. They don’t need to flaunt themselves through words and grand gestures because they are content with what they have inside them. And you certainly had far more depth than most of the people I surrounded myself with.”
I stared at Alison in surprise. When she realized what she had said, she averted her gaze to the green surface in front of her, clearing her throat.
“So, shall we begin?” she asked, gesturing to the triangle formation of the balls.
“Sure.”
“I’m awful, so it might take a few tries,” she warned again before simply looking at me.
I shrugged, leaning a bit against the cue by holding it with both hands. She sent me a message with her eyes, but I couldn’t quite decipher what she was trying to convey.
“God, Jared!” she exclaimed when I didn’t react.
“What?”
“You really don’t know how to pick up on a woman’s signals, do you? This is important if you’re going to make your marriage work. We like to communicate our needs without directly stating them.”
“That makes no sense. Why not just ask for what you want?”
