Page 5 of Sunrise

“What color are you?”

“An unripe banana.”

Fucker. “May I keep going?”

It takes him ten seconds to respond. And, yes, I counted.

“Don’t stop,” he says quietly.

By the time I’m done, there’s a slight tremble in his right hand. Sophie stands beside him, and I reposition them to face each other, then tie them together in a less intricate pattern than I originally planned.

“What color are you, Soph?”

“Green.”

“Knox?”

He swallows, staring at Sophie like she’s the sun and he’s too far absorbed by her to realize his corneas are burning.

“Knox?” she asks when he still hasn’t answered.

“Yellow.” He breaks eye contact with her and pins me with his hard gaze. “Keep going.”

So, I do. Against the rules, against my better judgement, I give this man what he wants.

It’s what always got me in trouble back in the day. I’ve always followed Knox’s direction as if I don’t have a brain of my own. And I’ve suffered the consequences of my actions every fucking time.

After giving Dmitri the signal, he lowers the ring again and I attach them both to it. “Do you trust me?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer.

“Yes.” Sophie dips her head at Knox as if giving him a clue that he needs to respond, too.

He swallows hard. “Yes.”

I’m an asshole for doing this. And yet, that doesn’t stop me from giving the signal to raise them both into the motherfucking air. Bound together. Facing each other.

Knox is afraid of heights.

Monitoring his breathing for any signs of panic, I watch him carefully until Dmitri has them both suspended about ten feet in the air. They dangle, spinning ever so slightly.

“Bend,” I command.

Sophie obeys first, bowing her back until her long ponytail dangles by her feet. It throws them off balance, which makes Knox try to fight out of his bindings.

“Bend,” I say louder. “You have to trust me.”

He’s panicking.

Dmitri starts lowering them down and I throw out my hand to stop him. “Bend for me, Knox. Trust me.”

His nostrils flare, lips pressed in a tight line. He kicks his feet a little, knocking them more off balance. Ryker starts forward on the stage again.

My heart pounds in my throat. “Please, Knox.”

Sophie holds her position.

I hold my fucking breath.

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