Page 13 of Ruin Me Gently

“Someone offered me one,” she said quietly, lifting it and studying the embers. “I don’t even know why I took it. I hate these things.”

“Maybe you needed it,” I said softly.

She let out a small, humourless laugh. “Needed what? The smoke? The chemicals?”

“No,” I said gently. “The distraction.”

Her shoulders lifted in a shallow shrug. “Hmm, maybe.”

The breeze shifted enough to carry the faintest trace of her scent through the cigarette smoke—soft and warm, like incense and honey.

Not overpowering. Just… there.

“May I sit?” I asked, keeping my tone soft and slow.

She glanced at the empty space beside her, before nodding and tucking her legs closer into herself to make room.

I sat down, keeping a careful distance. Close enough to be there if she needed me, but not so close that I crowded her.

Silence lingered, thick and heavy between us, broken only by the soft hiss of the cigarette as she took another drag.

“I’m Lilith.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Lilith.” I nodded, though she didn’t see it. Her gaze hadn’t left the horizon.

I should’ve introduced myself. It would’ve been the natural thing to do. But the words wouldn’t come. I couldn’t give her my name. Names had weight. They had familiarity, recognition, and they were the first thread in a connection that could unravel into something messy. And I couldn’t afford that. For me or her.

“I thought he was good at first, you know?” she said on a sigh.

My chest tightened.

“Great, even,” She continued. “He said all the right things. Did all the right things. Made me feel like I was special. And then he changed. Slowly at first. Little things. The way he spoke to me. The way he looked at me. Until…”

She flicked her fingers toward her wrist, where a red outline of his hand had already imprinted itself.

That motherfucker.

“But I stayed. Because clearly, something’s wrong with me. I kept telling myself I was being dramatic, I was overreacting. I actually thought he’d just snap back to the guy I met at the beginning. Like some kind of human boomerang—a real fucking redemption arc.”

A muscle in my jaw ticked, anger flickering low in my chest. Not at her, but at the thought of him.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I said.

She just nodded, pressing the cigarette into the glass ashtray beside her until the embers died.

The silence returned, heavier this time, but still not uncomfortable. Just quiet. Still. I let it linger, giving her space to process or breathe or—hell, I don’t know. What do you even say to someone after a night like hers? But eventually, I had to break it. “Do you need a ride home?”

“No,” she said too quickly.

I let out a quiet laugh, shaking my head. “I meant a car, not me personally.”

Her shoulders dropped a little, and she let out a slow exhale.

“Oh.” She paused, then nodded. “Yeah… that would be good. Thank you.”

Pulling my phone from my jacket, I stood and tapped the screen, opening up the Uber app. But I quickly changed my mind. The thought of handing her to a stranger in the middle of the night didn’t sit right.Not happening.

Instead, I switched gears, sending a quick text to one of the company’s private drivers.

---