Page 21 of Renascence

“I see. How long is she making him wait?” I ask, continuing our little game.

“I can’t tell. Right now he seems nice, but she’s afraid of trusting him. She doesn’t want to get hurt.”

“Because she’s been hurt before?”

There’s another pause, and then she says, “There’s some allusion to it, but nothing’s been revealed yet.”

Just as I thought. Some asshole hurt her, so she’s built a wall around herself. Sometimes I don’t understand my own gender. What’s so hard about treating a woman right? If you know you can’t settle down, why promise exclusivity?

“Okay, Em. You let me know how it goes. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

Looks like I’m going to have my hands full with Emily.

I’m not giving up on her.

***Emily***

Venom’s not at the gym today.

However, he did text to let me know he had things to take care of and that Kurt would follow me home. A part of me is bummed that I won’t see him; our little routine has grown on me and I realize I’ve looked forward to it every day. Another part of me is worried that after our phone conversation last night, he’s finally decided I’m not worth the effort after all.

That he’s given up on me.

What am I even thinking? I’ve been chasing him away since the day we met. Heshouldn’tbe giving me the time of day. He needs to focus on someone who can give him what he wants, and that definitely isnotme.

“Ready?” Kurt asks, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yeah.”

He takes my bag, letting me precede him out of the building. I wait, eyes darting up and down the street, as he locks the doors. As a woman, that’s something I’d normally do when I’m travelling alone—look for dangers lurking about. Tonight, it feels weird. I realize I haven’t done that on the nights Venom was with me. It’s even weirder that I feel so safe with him, subconsciously knowing he would and could protect me. Kurt’s a nice guy and all, but he doesn’t give me that kind of assurance.

Taking brisk steps, I set the pace to the parking lot. I want to get home and curl back up with my book.

“So, you and the boss getting along okay?”

“The boss? Oh, you mean Venom? I guess.” I shrug. “He seems like a nice guy.”

He chuckles. “Nice?”

I glance over at him with curiosity. “What, he isn’t nice?”

“He’s a good guy. Just never heard a woman describe him as ‘nice.’”

“Wait.” I stop, turning to face him. “What do you think’s going on between me and him?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I figured….” He cocks his head to the side, raising a brow. “So you two aren’t seeing each other?”

“No, we’re not,” I reply, resuming our walk.

“I see.”

At the truck, I take my bag from him and toss it on the seat. “You don’t have to follow me, you know. I’m fine. I have no idea why Venom insists on doing it.”

“It’s no worries. I don’t live far from your uncle.”

I’d ask how he knows about my uncle, but it’s a small town. It could also be that Venom told him. “Okay.” I nod, climbing into the truck.