Page 197 of Solanum

"Mexican it is then." I whipped out my phone and pulled up the delivery app.

"Are you worried about work next week?" Anita asked Nora, her voice soft.

"A little bit," answered Nora, gulping after. "Trying not to think about it."

Anita's brow furrowed suddenly and she urged the cuff of Nora's sleeve up to reveal the welts from the Shibari ropes of last night. "What is this?"

"What? Oh." Nora smiled while looking at her arm. "From playing last night. Want to see pictures?"

Anita frowned while she brushed her thumb over the red mark. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No. It's just from the binding. It's very pretty…"

"I'm not sure I find marks on your skin pretty, Nora." Anita tossed daggers at me and I drew in a slow breath.

"Don't blame Caroline," defended Nora. "Look." She reached across the sofa to lift her phone from the side table. She flicked through it a few times before showing Anita, what I assumed to be, one of the photos from last night.

I let the two of them manage it without butting in for the time being.

"See? It's so pretty…"

Anita's expression softened and I assumed Nora showed her one of the tamer pictures. "This is you?"

Nora nodded. "Samirah took this one with a lot of shadow and low light."

"It makes you happy?" asked Anita, her gaze flickering to Nora's.

She nodded her response, leaning her head back on the cushions. "Yes."

"You look…peaceful." Anita pointed at Nora's phone. "Your expression."

"I was. I am." Nora met her gaze for a moment. "Caroline helps me."

Anita said nothing, but continued to hold her stare.

"Marita isn't chasing you around to be mean, Neets. She's chasing you around because when she sees you now, she sees your pain because you wear it like a uniform." Nora ran her knuckle down Anita's cheek. "And its sash covered in all sorts of badges. Just…let her in."

Anita pulled her gaze down to the mug of coffee held in her lap. She remained silent, though I could tell Nora's speech got her thinking.

Hearing Nora's words of wisdom tangled in longer sentences told me of her own healing. When she allowed herself to speak openly, tangled with the intellect she wore as her own badge of honor, I knew she was on the mend in some ways. Over the past few months, that part of her faded, and I would be a fool to say it didn't worry me. As she moved closer to baseline, my thoughts wandered to her future and to mine.

"I don't know how," whispered Anita, finally.

"No one ever does. Just don't push her away." Nora's gaze flickered in my direction. "Don't shut her out."

A smirk tugged the corner of my mouth and I winked at her. "Sound advice."

Anita nodded and the three of us fell into a thick quiet for a moment.

"Let's watch a movie," suggested Nora.

"All right," agreed Anita as she sat up to sip her coffee.

I watched the two of them, and my thoughts continued to wander to things Nora said over the last few days. Her fear of water concerned me, and I wondered how much longer she would be able to keep the things that bothered her from the surface. She hadn't talked much about work, and maybe I was more concerned than she was for the time being. Or maybe she was excellent at blocking things out.

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