A proposition

Her eyes were wet when she finally looked up at me, after spending over five minutes leaning on my chest.

It broke my heart to see such a talented, strong woman on the brink of crying. I caressed her cheek with my free hand, as she hadn’t released the other yet “I should have come earlier. I knew you weren’t telling me everything, but I-”

“No.” her hand touched my lips “No. I didn’t want to sound whiny. He was my problem, and I reasoned my father would kick him away after a few weeks like he had done with everyone else, but…” she shrugged her pretty shoulders and bit her lower lip.

I sighed and hugged her against me, feeling that I had let down a friend.

“It’s ok. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

She nodded against my chest and I hugged her a little bit tighter.

We stayed like that until she pushed with her hands against my chest.

Reluctantly, I let her go.

She looked up at me with an enigmatic smile that reached her eyes.

“Shen Mu ca-”