Page 116 of Sage Haven
She shook her head quickly, swallowing. “No. I just didn’t expect you to eat with me.”
“Well,” I said, “I am.”
I didn’t explain it further.
I wasn’t even sure I could.
And maybe that was what made this all feel so grounding.
We ate in silence, but it wasn’t heavy like I expected. It felt… normal. Comfortable.
By the time I finished, she was still pushing food around. Picking at it, distracted. I let her be. Instead, I grabbed the portable music player I’d set up for her and turned it on.
The first notes drifted into the room.
Soft. Raw.
A melody that spoke of bruises and survival.
It shifted everything.
When I looked back, her eyes were already on me. Bright. Unreadable.
But her breathing had slowed. Her shoulders were looser.
Something about the music was working.
“Music,” I said quietly. “As requested,” I handed her the controls.
As her fingers brushed mine, the faintest hint of her scent hit me. Sweet. Clean. Always like wildflowers after a rainstorm, just like the night we met.
It shouldn’t have made me feel the way it did.
But it did.
“Thank you, Reich.”
My name on her lips shouldn’t have hit me the way it did either.
But again, it did.
Everything she did was like a punch I welcomed.
“You’re welcome, Sage.” I stepped back, leaning against the wall to steady myself, before continuing, “Are you ready to talk?”
Her body tensed.
She pulled back into herself.
My patience thinned.
“Sage,” I warned. “You’re testing me. The longer you hold out, the worse this becomes.”
She glared at me then. Defiance sparking hard in her eyes.
“Why does it matter, Reich?” she snapped. “Why does my past matter so much to you?”
I didn’t blink, just spoke, all business, “Because you may not trust me. But I need to trust you and knowing all the information is how I do that.”
