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“You just took someone whose love life has been nonexistent and asked her to commit to you for better or worse. And you did it five minutes after you took her virginity, which can be emotionally overwhelming in itself. On top of that, Cia has just gone through some of the most emotionally stressful weeks of her life and has more stress ahead of her.
“What you did, G, is like taking someone skydiving without warning or preparation. She must be terrified of getting hurt.”
“An idiot, huh?” I was still pretty offended by that comment, although I could see he had a point.
“Take it slow or you’ll lose her. It’s that simple.”
In that moment Cia came back into the bedroom.
“Cia is back. Do you want to talk to her?” I asked Bruce.
“Yes, please, but before you go…”
“What?”
“Congratulations.”
“For being an idiot?”
“No, for getting your girl.”
“Thanks,” I said but I didn’t feel too chirpy when I handed her the phone. “It’s Bruce, I’ll leave you some privacy to talk to him.”
I took time in the shower and thought about what Bruce had said. Maybe he was wrong. After all, Bruce only saw the frightened child in Cia, while I saw the brave woman in her. Not everyone was crippled by a bad childhood; some grew stronger and more resilient because of it. At least I had heard him tell Cia so himself, and with all the mental closets he had helped her clean out she would be fine.
So what if she hadn’t had a relationship with a man before? I had lived with her for two weeks in the cabin and she was completely at ease around me.
Maybe Cia was simply born to fly – and even if she wasn’t, maybe flying in tandem with me would make her feel safe. I sure hoped so, because I wasn’t prepared to let go.
