Page 74 of Inked Heart
“I mean ...I still feel sad.”I confess.
“That’s normal.”He says calmly.
“But I don’t feel broken.”
He nods slowly.“That’s also normal.”
“I thought it would hurt more.”
“Sometimes relief shows up before pain.”
I tilt my head.“You’re very wise for an accountant.”
“I read a lot.”
“Clearly.”
We sit there quietly again before something occurs to me.“Do you know what today technically was?”
“What?”
“My first date with someone who actually likes me.”
He looks confused.“What about Emette?”
“He liked the idea of me.”I’m only realizing it now.He liked having a good girl as his girl friend, but he had an image of what he wanted me to be, not who I actually was.“That’s different.”
“Yes.”
“With you...”I hesitate.
“With me what?”
“You look at me like I matter.”
His expression softens.“That’s because you do matter.”
“See?That’s exactly what I mean.”
He glances down at the dock for a moment before looking back at me.“You’ve always mattered.”
“To you.”
“Yes.”The honesty in that answer sends a warm little shiver through my chest.
“And you never said anything.”
“You had a boyfriend.”
“You really respect that rule, don’t you?”
“Very much.”
“That’s rare.”
I think about Emette cheating on me and I know the words are true.The fact that someone is in a relationship means very little to too many people, it seems.
“It shouldn’t be,” he says with conviction.
