Page 84 of The Tattered Gloves
“Anything.”
“What did I do tonight? Specifically? To scare you? I’ve done it before, haven’t I?”
I nodded. “The sound of your boots,” I said, a bit of sadness in my words. “It doesn’t usually bother me, but that coupled with the darkness and the lock clicking into place. Before he… when it happened, I walked out into the hallway, and he caught me. He pushed me back into my room, and the only things I heard were the sound of his boots and the lock clicking into place. I didn’t even see his face. It was too dark,” I said.
“And what did I do before?” he asked.
“You put your hand on my shoulder.”
He nodded, remembering. “In the hall. I didn’t even think about it. I was just—”
“Sticking up for me. I know.”
Silence settled between us as we both searched for what to say next.
“I’m not him,” he finally said. “I hope you know that. I’d never hurt you… or do anything to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I know,” I answered. “It’s been a long road, but I do know the difference between someone like you and Addy or Allison and someone like…him. But it’s just been easier, not having to figure it out, you know? The gloves, my armor, keep me at a safe distance from everyone.”
“No chance of being hurt that way,” he murmured.
“Right,” I answered.
“So, where does that leave us?” he asked, his beautiful green eyes meeting mine.
I held my hand out to his. “Right here, if that’s okay with you?”
He tentatively met my hand with his own, barely brushing the loose threads of my glove. “Sounds perfect.”
It did indeed.
