Page 58 of The Warrior
Magni lifted my foot to his nose.
“Noo, don’t do that,” I said with embarrassment.
A smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. “I’ll let you smell my socks and we can compare.”
“You don’t need to touch them.”
“Laura, stop talking about your feet, you’re fine.” He moved on to massage my right foot while I sat under the blankets.
“You know, it’s kind of depressing that Mila seems to understand things about you that I don’t.”
“Hmm.”
“She said some pretty profound things.”
“Yeah, she’s a smart kid.”
I angled my head. “Do you ever wonder if we missed out on something? Growing up here, I mean.”
Magni shrugged. “I know we missed out on sandy beaches, but I think it’s worth it to avoid all the stupid rules they have in the Motherlands.”
Leaning back on the bed, I supported my weight on my elbows. “I don’t like all their rules either, but sometimes when I speak to Motlanders, I feel like they understand a lot more about people than we do. Athena has all these ideas about why you drink and fight.”
“What would she know about it?” Magni scoffed. “I doubt she’s ever been in a fight or been drunk in her whole life.”
“No. But she’s a smart lady.”
Magni snorted. “Athena wouldn’t last a day in my world.”
“Finn loves her,” I pointed out. “And he respects her.”
“Why are we talking about them?”
I sighed. “I’m just saying that I wish we were better at talking about how we feel.”
Magni stopped massaging my foot and gave me a scrutinizing look. “I’m not good at talking.”
“My point exactly.” Leaning forward, I met him nose to nose. “I’m not good at it either, but I want to be.”
“Why? So you can dig around in my head?” Magni narrowed his eyes. “I don’t recommend it.”
“I wish you weren’t so closed off to me.”
His eyes hardened. “And I wish you could accept me for who I am.”
“But that’s the problem, Magni. I don’t know who you are. How could I when you won’t show it to me?” My voice was shaking with emotion. “You are everything I dreamed my husband would be. You’re strong, brave, and handsome.”
“But?”
“But that’s just the wrapping. I can’t read you, or figure out what’s going on inside your head.”
Magni put my feet down and stood up. “Then you’re not listening. How many times have I told you not to go back to the Motherlands? That’s what’s on my fucking mind.”
I stood up too, but still had to lean my head back to meet his eyes. “Why? You say it’s because you’re afraid I’ll be hurt. But I have a feeling that the real reason you don’t want me to go back is because it’s embarrassing to you that your wife has a life of her own.”
Magni crossed his arms and lowered his brow, but kept quiet.
“I never liked it when you bossed me around, but it was all I ever knew. My entire life men have been telling me what to do. You have no idea what that’s like. I was always told that it was a sign of protectiveness, until Christina pointed out to me that it’s really possessiveness.”
