agree.”
“You won’t lie to me again?”
I shook my head. “I swear to you.”
“If you need space, you tell me. Just say the words. Don’t make up some bullshit excuse or pull away from me. I don’t like…uncertainty, okay?”
“All right, Soph.”
She stopped in front of me and laid her hands on my chest. She looked up at me nervously. “Okay, then in the spirit of honesty, I need to tell you something.”
“From the look on your face, I’m thinking we should sit down for this.”
She nodded.
I took her hand and led her into the living room. I didn’t let go of her as we both lowered ourselves onto the couch.
She curled her legs up under herself and turned to face me. “That night I was in the city, I did see Jake.”
She stopped to gauge my reaction. I had to grind my teeth to stop myself from showing much of one. Just hearing that asshole’s name made my blood boil. “Okay,” I ground out.
“Tiff would only go to a place she already knew, so we went to a club I knew from my time at college. It was right around the corner from where he and I used to…live together. Anyway, I went out for a smoke and…he saw me.”
She squeezed my hand tightly and looked away.
I shifted closer to her and stroked the back of her head, guiding her eyes back to mine. “It’s okay.”
“He was angry. Angry that I’d left and angry when I wouldn’t take him back. I told him we were done the moment he hit me. He wouldn’t accept that and he thought it was about something else.”
“What?”
“You.”
I cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “You told him we slept together?”
“Yeah. I told you; I don’t like secrets,” she snapped, defensively. “Anyway, he tried to hurt me, but a bouncer stopped him. That’s why I came to you and asked you to teach me how to fight. I felt so….”
“Helpless?”
“Yeah.”
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “Thank you for telling me, Soph.”
She pulled away. “There’s one more thing.”
I tensed immediately. “Christ, what is it?” I asked, grinning at her. “Do I need to be lying down for this?”
Her eyes lit up and she leaned into me and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Chapter 19
~Brad~
As I approached our secret hidden location in the park, I caught sight of Soph sitting against the trunk of an old oak tree. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and a notebook rested upon them. She clutched a pen in her gloved right hand and it moved across the pages at a furious pace.
“Hey,” I greeted her as I sat down beside her.
She jumped, almost dropping her pen in the process and cocked her head towards me. “Shit, you scared me. I didn’t hear you approach,” she said, slapping her hand over her heart.
I laughed and then I looked her over. She was bundled up in a blue wool coat. A pale gray scarf encircled her neck, matching her pants. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. With every day that passed, it was getting closer to winter and a hell of a lot colder outside. Too cold to keep meeting outside for our secret lunch rendezvous.
“You were writing?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you do that since you came back here.”
She smiled elatedly. “Yeah, I was. It’s been a long time.”
“How long?”
She broke eye contact with me and shrugged. And then she answered in a small voice, “A little over a year.”
“What?”
“I…uh…I hadn’t been feeling it.”
“ Hadn’t been feeling it ? It’s who you are. It’s who you’ve always been. Sophie, the writer.”
She struggled to meet my gaze and when she did, I didn’t like what I saw there. Embarrassment, shame and guilt. I knew her too fucking well. “Because of him ? You stopped writing because of him?” It came out a little more abrasive and accusatory than I’d intended it to and her eyes narrowed, her body tensing, readying for a fight.
“It’s complicated,” she snapped, closing her notebook and shoving it into her bag along with her
“You won’t lie to me again?”
I shook my head. “I swear to you.”
“If you need space, you tell me. Just say the words. Don’t make up some bullshit excuse or pull away from me. I don’t like…uncertainty, okay?”
“All right, Soph.”
She stopped in front of me and laid her hands on my chest. She looked up at me nervously. “Okay, then in the spirit of honesty, I need to tell you something.”
“From the look on your face, I’m thinking we should sit down for this.”
She nodded.
I took her hand and led her into the living room. I didn’t let go of her as we both lowered ourselves onto the couch.
She curled her legs up under herself and turned to face me. “That night I was in the city, I did see Jake.”
She stopped to gauge my reaction. I had to grind my teeth to stop myself from showing much of one. Just hearing that asshole’s name made my blood boil. “Okay,” I ground out.
“Tiff would only go to a place she already knew, so we went to a club I knew from my time at college. It was right around the corner from where he and I used to…live together. Anyway, I went out for a smoke and…he saw me.”
She squeezed my hand tightly and looked away.
I shifted closer to her and stroked the back of her head, guiding her eyes back to mine. “It’s okay.”
“He was angry. Angry that I’d left and angry when I wouldn’t take him back. I told him we were done the moment he hit me. He wouldn’t accept that and he thought it was about something else.”
“What?”
“You.”
I cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “You told him we slept together?”
“Yeah. I told you; I don’t like secrets,” she snapped, defensively. “Anyway, he tried to hurt me, but a bouncer stopped him. That’s why I came to you and asked you to teach me how to fight. I felt so….”
“Helpless?”
“Yeah.”
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. “Thank you for telling me, Soph.”
She pulled away. “There’s one more thing.”
I tensed immediately. “Christ, what is it?” I asked, grinning at her. “Do I need to be lying down for this?”
Her eyes lit up and she leaned into me and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Chapter 19
~Brad~
As I approached our secret hidden location in the park, I caught sight of Soph sitting against the trunk of an old oak tree. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and a notebook rested upon them. She clutched a pen in her gloved right hand and it moved across the pages at a furious pace.
“Hey,” I greeted her as I sat down beside her.
She jumped, almost dropping her pen in the process and cocked her head towards me. “Shit, you scared me. I didn’t hear you approach,” she said, slapping her hand over her heart.
I laughed and then I looked her over. She was bundled up in a blue wool coat. A pale gray scarf encircled her neck, matching her pants. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. With every day that passed, it was getting closer to winter and a hell of a lot colder outside. Too cold to keep meeting outside for our secret lunch rendezvous.
“You were writing?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you do that since you came back here.”
She smiled elatedly. “Yeah, I was. It’s been a long time.”
“How long?”
She broke eye contact with me and shrugged. And then she answered in a small voice, “A little over a year.”
“What?”
“I…uh…I hadn’t been feeling it.”
“ Hadn’t been feeling it ? It’s who you are. It’s who you’ve always been. Sophie, the writer.”
She struggled to meet my gaze and when she did, I didn’t like what I saw there. Embarrassment, shame and guilt. I knew her too fucking well. “Because of him ? You stopped writing because of him?” It came out a little more abrasive and accusatory than I’d intended it to and her eyes narrowed, her body tensing, readying for a fight.
“It’s complicated,” she snapped, closing her notebook and shoving it into her bag along with her
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