Page 18 of Remiss
“I’d like that. After you,” he said, gesturing to the altar with his hand.
“I’ll go slow so you can follow along,” she promised, and wheeled him closer.
She resumed the position she’d been in when he’d entered the chapel, clasping her hands together and bowing her head.
“Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos,” she began, the words flowing from her with a lyrical quality and throatier than when she spoke in English.
Rule enjoyed the difference.
When he didn’t immediately repeat after her, she raised her head and cocked a brow. Catching the hint quickly, he recited, albeit not as perfectly.
“Padre nuestro que estás en los cielos,” he said slowly, staring at her for approval.
She smiled and nodded, the gesture relaxing him.
“Santificado sea tu Nombre,” she continued, peeking at him through her lashes.
Peace washed over him as they continued, and he found himself not wanting the moment to end. Unfortunately, it did, and all too soon, Bianca was saying, “Amen.”
“Amen,” he muttered, tamping his disappointment at how quickly her lesson ended.
“You did good,” she praised, and he straightened. “How much Spanish do you know?”
“The basics, mostly, and some ‘practical’ phrases.”
Ridge Moore prided itself on preparing its high schoolers for everyday life.
“I’m sure you’ll be at a conversational level in no time. You seem smart, and the language really isn’t hard when you get the fundamentals down.”
“Are you offering to teach me?” he asked, halfway joking, but wholly hoping she was serious.
It’d give him an excuse to talk to her again.
She thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not? My therapist said I should socialize more, and I don’t have much else to do during my free time.”
They were in the same boat.
“Mine did, too,” he said, his eagerness a little frightening.
He prayed this wasn’t an elaborate prank and Bianca was genuinely as nice as she appeared. One thing life at the club taught him was trust was a valuable asset that couldn’t be given freely, and even the most unassuming people turned into threats.
“Well, they should both be happy to hear that we made a friend,” she said and his heart sped up. “If you really want to learn, you know where to find me.”
His cheeks felt hot, and he scrambled for a response. “In here?”
As soon as the words left him, he winced. He rarely saw her anywhere else, so where else would she be?
“Bingo.”
His nervous laugh belied his relief. “I am serious, by the way,” he said, vying for a casual tone. “I’d like it if you taught me.”
The smile curving Bianca’s lips jolted Rule. “Cool. You free tomorrow, same time?”
“Of course.”
He had woefully little to do in the mental hospital. Besides therapy and scheduled meals, he was stuck finding ways to amuse himself. However, Bianca offered the promise of something new, a positive change to his routine, and a much needed distraction. If she were as genuine as she appeared, the remainder of his stay wouldn’t be quite so miserable. If she wasn’t, he wouldn’t make the naïve mistake of trusting so easily again. For everyone’s sake, he hoped the former was the outcome.
“You have a minute?”
