Page 73 of If You Say So

“Only if you want to,” I admitted. “We don’t have to do anything.”

He scrunched up his face, and the scars around his mouth and eyes pulled tight.

I wanted to smooth out the creases in his forehead with my lips.

I didn’t.

Though it took everything I had not to wrap my arms around the man.

“She walks the dog every day at the trail,” I said, offering him up a solution. “We could go there, walk it. If you happen to want to go see the dog, cool. If not? We could just hang back. Watch.”

Riel breathed a sigh of relief, and once again, I wished that he would tell me what was going

through his head instead of keeping it bottled up inside in his emotional vault.

Then again, I was one to talk.

I had emotions battering me left and right, yet I couldn’t tell him a single thing.

I had all of these feelings rocketing through me, and not one of them seemed to be able to make it

out of my mouth.

“Sure,” he croaked.

I made a grab for his hand, not allowing myself time to think or question what I was doing.

When his eyes met mine, I didn’t see the scars.

I didn’t see the horror that he went through.

I only saw him.

“I’ll be there, okay?” I said. “I won’t let you go by yourself.”

He swallowed hard.

“I don’t know why I’m being such a little bitch about this,” he admitted. “Something’s telling me

not to do it, though.”

I didn’t know what or why, but if he didn’t want to do it…

“We don’t have to go…” I said softly.

He was already shaking his head.

“I feel like this imposter living this life,” he said. “I feel like I’m going to see this dog, and the dog is going to think I’m just any other human. I’m tired of not knowing who I am.” He paused. “I’m being a little bitch. But… for some reason, this damn dog is important.”

I frowned. “So, you want the dog to be excited to see you?”

He just shook his head.

“That’s the thing,” he answered. “I don’t know what I want. Not one single bit.”

***

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting.

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