Page 9 of Broken Rules
“You,” she said. “I like your eyes. They’re golden.”
“Amber, actually. So what?”
She shrugged. “They’re pretty.”
This he hadn’t expected.
He wasn’t used to compliments. “Thank you,” he said after a while.
She drew closer then and sat down next to him on his bed.
He stiffened, uncomfortable at her close proximity.
“Why were you crying anyway?” she asked. “Were you missing your parents?”
He shrugged. “I never knew them. You can’t miss what you never knew.”
“Then why?”
Damien shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s stupid.”
She put her hand on his. What felt like a bolt of lightning sliced right through his chest. He stared down at her tiny hand.
“Tell me,” she insisted.
Mesmerized by her touch, he spoke, only half aware of his own words. “I was thinking about this kid Matthew. He got adopted the other day.”
“That’s so great!”
Damien cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah. Matthew wasn’t one of those kids in the nursery who get adopted all the time. He’s ten, like me.”
“But why did such good news make you cry?”
He lifted his shoulders. “When his new parents came to pick him up, his new dad hugged him.”
“Is that all?” she asked softly. “You cried over a hug?”
His gaze moved from her hand to her eyes. He lost himself in the warm turquoise sea. “I’ve never had one before,” he said absently.
Her eyes widened. “You’ve never been hugged?”
Her surprised tone brought his thoughts back to reality and he realized how open he was being. “No, I—”But before he could take his confession back, her arms circled around his torso. His breath caught. He stiffened with surprise. Warmth poured from her arms into him. He melted. As if of their own accord, his arms wrapped around her and squeezed her back. His heart raced. He buried his face in the crook of her neck. Peace came to him, gentle, lulling, forgiving. But an instant later, an unwanted sound pushed through his thoughts, pulling him away from heaven, back to life’s harsh realities.
It was the clip clop of sensible shoes echoing in the hallway.
The noise grew louder, clattering toward the dormitory. A moment later, the door swung wide. Sister Maria entered, but froze, her eyes wide when saw the girl on Damien’s bed, their arms entwined. Quickly overcoming her shock, the nun hastened toward them.
“Miss, you shouldn’t be in here!”
A pang sliced Damien’s heart when the girl’s arms slipped away. She scurried to her feet. “I’m so sorry,” she blurted and without a glance at Damien, she nearly sprinted for the door.
He didn’t blame her. Nuns made normal people nervous.
“I’m assuming that was an innocent meeting,” Sister Maria said pointedly to him after the girl had left.
He didn’t look up as a flood of heat warmed his cheeks. “I’m ten,” he said simply. “And I’m pretty sure that girl is younger than me, so I wouldn’t worry.”
“Still, you're supposed to be resting,” she scolded.
