52: Chapter

“Before I say anything, I would like to ask how you’re doing. You took quite a beating last night.” His health stayed on her mind throughout the night, and she could only wish he was okay. Seeing him in one piece was good news for her.

“I will live,” he answered, adding a mild shrug. She nodded, now prepared for his questions.

He placed the cup down on the counter, and the steam oozed out. “Are you with him? The one called Orlando?”

“It depends on what you mean by ‘with him’,” she answered in a small voice.

“Do you love him? Is that why you couldn’t agree to a relationship with me?” He went straight to the question, but his eyes strayed away from hers as if afraid of her answer.

She shook her head. “I do not love him, but he is a part of the reason I couldn’t agree to a relationship.” She answered, “At first I didn’t because of how things ended between us, and even when you swore things were different, I didn’t trust it. I couldn’t trust you.”

She sat on the stool before the kitchen co