Page 14 of Vulnerate

Parking at the back, he puts our order in and turns to me while I repeat my lie, mentally readying to spit it out.

“How’s your mom doing?” he asks.

I’m too focused on my rehearsed answer that it doesn’t make sense with his question, and I go blank as I try to find an answer. I don’t have enough time to make up a lie and too much honesty leaves me.

“I don’t really know, she’s always tired but Dad said she’s got more energy in the morning.”

That was his last message weeks ago.

Val’s pity is the worst thing to exist. It’s unnatural and he brushes my hair off my shoulder as he leans closer to me, searching my eyes. There’s barely any space between us when I jump back at the knock against his window. His jaw tenses and he moves away without letting go of my face. The waiter passes the box through the window and stops Val from diving any further into my weird family dynamic. Setting the box on the center console, he pushes his seat back at the same time I do.

He doesn’t even blink seeing the mushrooms polluting the cheesy goodness and takes two straws, using them like chopsticks, to remove them without touching my half. If I see someone touch my food with their hands I can’t eat it. Val doesn’t give me any shit as he picks the disgusting toppings off.He does something worse and focuses on my wording.

“I thought you were with your family yesterday? You always spend your birthday with them.”

His eyes narrow and I look away knowing I’m caught.

Authority fills his voice, making him sound older as he asks, “Where were you Dani?”

I lie as though my life depends on it.

“I was tired and fell asleep.”

It’s only an omission, but it twists my gut at the thought of him knowing I saw what he did. It’s stupid when I’m not afraid of Val, I just like this version of him, and I’m foolish enough to let him convince me that it’s the only version to exist while ignoring the literal proof in my own memory.

Rough calloused fingers stroke across my jaw and he turns my head to face him with more gentleness than I thought he’d be capable of possessing. The quality travels through his hands into his voice as he softly taps the pad of his thumb against my bottom lip.

“Never lie to me, Dani mine.”

There’s a threat in his eye and I need him to voice it, to let the cruelty out so I know there’s a chance of it being used against me.

“Or what?”

But he doesn’t react with anything other than a smile as he stares so deeply into my eyes I can feel myself sway, wanting to fall into him. Hisicy eyes are brighter, less cold and resentful, and more cleansing as he continues tracing my bottom lip.

“Or we both won’t like what I’ll have to do. Eat your food baby, it’ll get cold,” he says.

He just called mebaby. And my brain has shut down, incapable of processing it as he picks up a slice and brings it to my lips.

The attentiveness isnew as Valentin remains at my side while we walk into the large hall. I love art and I come to this exhibit every year since Vlad first gifted me a ticket to it. I’ve never had anyone walk around it with me before and Val tries to hide his boredom. The large, marbled space echoes our footsteps as the other attendees talk amongst themselves, but he’s looking at me when I turn around to offer him an escape.

“Do you want to go? I’ve already seen these before.”

Warmth covers my lower back as he steps closer to me and places his hand on my back, his lips brushing my ear with every word he says. “Seeing them online is different to in person, Dani mine.”

The butterflies multiply hearing him say “mine”. My voice comes out squeaky and weird as I avoid his bright eyes and pause in the middle of the room.

“I get the same gift, $100 for every year of my age and tickets to this exhibit.”

He can’t hide his relief as it’s breathed into my hair, his lips brush the strands and my temple in a ghost of kiss without any real pressure. I don’t know what he’s doing or why. He keeps touching me, nothing indecent or screaming out that he has to, but light touches even when we were walking side by side and he purposefully made sure his knuckles brushed the back of my hand.

An older couple are looking at the statue behind us and Val steps into me as he moves us out of their path. The gentleman is new, and he attempts to hide how much he doesn’t want to be here.

“We can still go round it if you want, I have a few hours before we have to go.”

I know he has a fight tonight and I’d rather spend time with him away from the old people surrounding us having their pretentious conversations.I don’t avoid him, I smile up at him like an idiot and my heart races as I say, “We can go. Tali wouldn’t even walk in here with me, so you’ve done better than him.”

The edges of his features harden, and he holds his tongue by clenching his jaw hard enough that it protrudes from his skin.

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