“I don’t know what to say.” She looks up at me, her eyes welling with tears.
“Say you know Kelso’s a fucking asshole and you’re not going back there.”
“I meant about you, not him.”
“Then say you know I’m right about Kelso, and that you’re not going back there.”
A tear escapes her eye and she says, “About your parents. It’s heartbreaking.”
“It was half my lifetime ago now.”
“That doesn’t make a difference. How can that sort of trauma ever go away?”
“Life presses on. The world keeps spinning, and you have no choice but to spin with it.”
“Spinning doesn’t mean leaving your trauma behind.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” I clear my throat. There are some things in life that I don’t want to think about.
“I can’t imagine what must’ve been going on in your head.”
“The only thing going through my head was taking care of my sisters.”
“But who took care of you?”
“Me,” I push out through my constricted throat.
Skye grazes my cheeks with her fingers, silent tears still dragging down her pretty face. I hate making her cry. Maybe I’m being too cold to her. Does she even understand what a big deal telling her all this shit is? This wasn’t at all how I thought it would be. Why can I give all these speeches about it to roomfuls of people with ease, but telling her feels like I’m ripping my fucking ribcage open?
All I can do is squeeze her tighter. To drink in the comfort her body against mine brings. We stand like that until her breathing slows and the tightness in my throat lessens.
“Sorry for giving you a hard time,” she says, wiping away her tears.
“I’m not sorry for giving you a hard time last night.”
Before she can call me an idiot, I press my lips against her and kiss her hard enough to forget everything I’ve just told her.
Exposed
(Skye)
We’d ended up in a room near the charity room he showed me. Our clothes are wherever, scattered between here and there. It’s a cozy room, with a couch and fireplace. I suppose it’s just another room of several in his mansion. It’s difficult to know if it even has a purpose or gets used.
We’re on the couch, my naked body draped across his, his fingers playing with my hair.
It was different this time, when he’d entered me. This time he was gentle and tender. I’m sure I felt the pain he’s been carrying around inside him. Instead of the frantic build of tension, there was a steady welling until my body quivered in his arms.
Having lost his parents so young is terrible, but having to drop out of school and become a parent to his sisters is heartbreaking. It must’ve traumatized him. No matter how much he tried to play it cool, I know it bothered him, I could tell by the tightening in his jaw.
“Do you ever talk to anyone about what happened to your parents?”
“Nope.” He exhales sharply.
“Why not?”
“Why would I?”
“I don’t know.” Because it’s a horrible situation that you shouldn’t have had to bear on your own.
“I talked to you about it.” He did? He showed me the charity, he thinks that’s talking about it?
“I’m glad you showed me your room. It’s really amazing that you help so many kids.”
Lawson shrugs.
“Did anyone help you?”
“Not a fucking soul.”
I press my body against his. As much as I want to know more, to know everything about him, he isn’t very forthcoming with the details. It’s difficult to know how much I can push the subject.
“Well, I think your charity is amazing, truly.”
“I’m glad I have your approval.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Give me your sarcasm.”
“Come up here and kiss me.”
Lawson drags my body up his chest. I scramble to move and end up straddling him. With his hands knitted through my hair, he pulls my lips to his and kisses me.
“Didn’t we just do this?”
“Doesn’t matter, I could never get enough of your lips.”
I press my forehead against his and smile.
“I never thought I’d hear that from a rich fu…” I stop dead, I didn’t mean to call him that.
“A rich fuck?”
“Fucker, actually.”
“I’m definitely a fucker, especially to you.” I throw my head back and laugh.
“This is true. If only ‘getting fucked by the rich’ meant the way I do.”
“It’s like that, is it? So what do you do to help the less fortunate, besides sit around and bitch with your artist friends?”