Page 99 of Range
She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth. When it returned, the lip gloss was hardly there anymore.
“I need you to tell me something, Sunshine. Are you listening?”
Silence.
I moved closer, elbows on the table. I turned my palms upward, quietly requesting her presence. She obliged, placing both hands onto mine.
“Are you listening?”
She nodded.
“Then tell me, Range, do you know when it’s time to stay? And will you?”
Her right hand tapped against my palm. The sound of her foot tapping on the floor didn’t come as a surprise. Simultaneously, her face neared mine.
She assessed me. Quietly. Confidently. Vulnerably. Cautiously. And, once she’d processed her findings, her lips parted.
“My heart leaves me no choice.”
My world shifted. Earth stopped spinning on its axis. My heart stilled.
For a brief moment. For a second.
“Can we talk about your case?”
“We can’t, Range. Because I am confident you will make sure I am a free man. They have nothing. I’ve made sure. You’re simply the nail in the coffin. What I care to talk more about is you– So, take off your sneakers and stop running from what you’ll never be able to escape.”
Her hands slid from mine. Her back pushed against the seat. Her hands crossed her chest. And, her lips pursed into a pout.
I chuckled. I didn’t notice how good it felt until more words escaped her.
“What’s funny?”
I shook my head, shrugging.
“I’m unsure if it’s how pretty you look right now, the fact that I never want to see that look on your face again, the fact that Iwouldn’t mind seeing it again, or that I understand I will be no good when these walls are not surrounding us.”
“Meaning?”
“I want to give you a beautiful life, Range.”
“I have a beautiful life.”
Soundlessly, I nodded. It was true. It was also something I had yet to consider.
What does one offer a woman who has everything?
“You’re still on the surface of its beauty. There’s more depth. More dimensions. Undoubtedly, I am the man designed to expose you to those depths. Those dimensions. Love. marriage. Partnership. And, most importantly, peace.”
Her arms fell by her sides.
“It’s time to rest, Range. I’ll make sure your days are restful. Fingerprints in the comforter because that’s how familiar it is with them. Mattress contouring to your body because you’re there whenever you want… as much as you want… for however long you want. Pilates, pajamas, palm tress, and peace of mind.
“I want to release you from your worries. Your mental load. Your mental labor. I will offer you things life hasn’t yet. Enhance the beauty of the world you’ve created, Sunshine. You can tap on my skin until your head is no longer heavy and your brain is no longer foggy. You can unravel. You can fall apart or you can fall together.
“You can make the rules. You can quit a hundred times. You can start a hundred more. You can vent. You can deflect. You can cry. You can do whatever your heart desires. I just want to be there. I need to be there. Iwillbe there.”
“You frighten me,” she exhaled.
