Page 28 of Mastered By Bliss

“Still, you were right, what you said about the proposal being impulsive.I should have come up with a plan.”

I bite back my sarcasm.His impulsivity might’ve scared Leah off.Even mentioning marriage to Leah the other day had her tensing up, shutting down.

He stares at me, eyes unreadable behind the reflection on his glasses.“You look angry.”

“I’m pissed, yeah.Maybe a little hurt that you left me out of it at the start.I thought we were pursuing her together, loving her together.Then you went rogue.”

“I did.I apologize.I’ve seen the error I made, and now I’d like to come up with a plan.With you.”

“Got it.I’m on board.”

“First…” He leans back, half-sitting on his desk.It’s a calculated move, meant to look casual.But the words he speaks aren’t casual at all.“Do you think she loves us?”

“I—” I stop to think.“Yeah.I think she does.She isn’t going to lie about it.She really loves us.”

“Do you have any insights then, on why she doesn’t want to get married?”

“Other than the fact we’ve been dating her for less than two months?”

His smile is self-deprecating.“Other than that.”

“I’ve known her a long time.I’ve known her boyfriends, too.She always picks someone who’s not quite right.”

“Because they aren’t you?”He raises his eyebrows.

“Ha, yeah.Partly, at least.The last guy, Mick—he was fucking terrible.And Leah seemed…not happy.But content.Like it was everything she expected.”

“Everything she expected.Hmm.”He frowns.“She told me she doesn’t talk to her parents.”

“She doesn’t.”I lean against the doorframe, take in the art of the room.Black-and-white photos of kinky poses hang on the walls.Like we need a reminder of where we are, what is done here.

Gage doesn’t comment, and I think back to when Leah moved in with my family.I was already in college, but locally at San Esteban State.“Her stepdad was verbally abusive.I don’t know everything that he put into her head, but it was bad, whatever it was.We never talked about it much.She mentioned something a few weeks ago.I don’t think any of us knew how bad it was at the time.Maybe my parents suspected, and that’s why they invited her to live with us.”

“If that’s the image she got of marriage…” Gage doesn’t finish the thought.He doesn’t need to.

“So.”I clap my hands together.“We don’t marry her.At least, not right away.”

Gage nods.“But we live together.”

“And we love her.”

“And we love her.”He takes off his glasses and finds a cloth in the case on his desk to clean them.“As far as living together—if Leah agrees, when do you want to move in?”

* * *

Leah

I work with Hector, and then my next student comes in, a freshman named Mallory.It’s my first time meeting her.She’s tall and gangly, with dyed-pink hair.She limply shakes my hand and quickly glances at my face to say hello before looking down again.

After five minutes of struggling throughLord of the Flies, I discover her secret.It turns out, she can barely read.

“Have you been hiding it all this time?”I ask, keeping my voice kind, level.I don’t want her to feel judged.

She nods, the tips of her ears turning as pink as her hair.Her gaze doesn’t leave the table—she refuses to look at me.“Yes.I’m sorry, I’m just so embarrassed.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about.The system failed you, not the other way around.”I fold my hands on top of my copy ofLord of the Flies.“The thing is, literacy isn’t what I teach.”

“No, please.”She finally meets my gaze.“I want to work with you, Leah.I’ll work extra hard, but if my dad sends me to a literacy specialist, everyone will know I’ve been lying this whole time.”

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