Page 131 of The Misfit

I should feel nervous about this. Should need something to calm me before this. But three more months of real love, of genuine trust, of learning each other’s needs have changed things. Changed us.

The blindfold slides over my eyes easily, silk cool against my skin. I’ve come so far from the girl who needed three pairs of gloves just to feel safe. The girl who counted ceiling tiles before entering rooms. The girl who met a chaos-bringing boy in a pantry and thought she could never be suitable for anyone.

Now I stand here, voluntarily blindfolded, trusting Lee completely. Because he’s earned that trust. Because he’s proven worthy of it. Because he understands my patterns aren’t prison cells anymore, just like I understand his chaos isn’t destruction anymore.

My hand finds the door handle, and I smile at the familiar feel of recently sanitized metal. Of course he cleaned everything. Of course he counted three times. Of course he made sure I would feel safe even in darkness.

Because that’s love.

Real love.

The kind worth counting on.

I step inside, letting the door close behind me, letting anticipation build in my veins. Whatever Lee has planned, whatever game he wants to play, whatever path he’s leading me down …

I trust him.

I choose him.

I love him.

And that’s worth walking into darkness for.

“Follow my voice,” Lee calls from somewhere to my left, his tone playful but gentle. “Unless you’re scared?”

The challenge in his voice makes me smile behind the blindfold. He knows I’m not scared—not of him, not anymore. Not since we learned to trust each other’s patterns and chaos in equal measure.

“You’ll have to do better than that,” I tease back, moving toward his voice. The floor is clean beneath my feet—he really did think of everything. “I know all your tricks by now.”

His laughter echoes through the house, bouncing off walls in ways that make it hard to track. But I know this game he’s playing. Know he’s leading me on a specific path. Know every step has been planned and counted and prepared.

“Do you?” His voice comes from a different direction now, somehow both farther and closer. “Know all my tricks? Because I think …” He pauses, and I hear movement above me. “I think I still have a few surprises left.”

Heat pools in my belly at his tone—that perfect mix of playful and dangerous that only Lee can manage. My other senses heighten behind the blindfold, catching subtle sounds: his careful footsteps, his measured breathing, his deliberate movements through the house.

“You’re overthinking,” he calls out, closer now. So close I can almost feel his presence. “Stop counting steps and just … feel.”

He’s right. I’m falling into old patterns, trying to measure and map and control. But that’s not what this game is about. Not what he’s trying to show me.

“That’s it,” he murmurs as I relax, letting instinct guide me. “Trust yourself. Trust me. Trust us.”

The word“us” still sends shivers down my spine. Still feels like a miracle and destiny and choice all wrapped into one. Still makes me want to count my blessings instead of my fears.

His footsteps retreat again, leading me on this careful chase through darkness. But it’s not really darkness anymore. Not with him here. Not with love lighting the way.

“Getting warmer,” he teases as I follow, letting my fingers trail along clean walls. “Or should I say … getting closer to where everything began?”

The pantry.Of course. Where else would this path lead? Where else would Lee bring me for whatever he has planned?

My heart races, but not from anxiety or fear. From anticipation. From trust. From love.

Because whatever waits in that pantry, whatever game Lee’s playing, whatever path he’s leading me down … I’m ready for it.

His footsteps quicken, and I follow the sound, almost catching him around what feels like the main staircase. My hand brushes fabric—his shirt maybe—but he dances away with a low laugh that sends heat coursing through my veins.

“Almost,” he teases, voice rough with something more than playfulness. “But not quite fast enough, baby. Come find me.”

I know these halls now, even blindfolded. Know the path to our pantry like I know my own heartbeat. Know Lee’s leading me there with deliberate precision, each step calculated to build anticipation.

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