just saying that you don’t have to ghost me or avoid me. You don’t have to
worry about it being awkward at work or me talking about us there or doing
anything that wouldn’t be appropriate. I understand that you have enough
scandal at your workplace right now. What I am saying is that if we could
leave our options open and move slowly, I’d really appreciate it.”
Christina had to pull her hand away, but she made it seem like she was
reaching into her bag for something. Really, she just couldn’t stand to be
connected to Taylor physically when she told her what she needed to say.
“I’ve never really dated anyone before.”
Taylor nearly knocked her cup over. It bounced out of her hand on the
way to her mouth, but she caught it midair. “What? Like, you’ve never been
in a relationship?”
“No. Not really.”
Taylor set her cup down hard before she could have any more mishaps
with it. She searched Christina’s face, but waited patiently. Christina never
really talked about her family, so the urge to do it now completely surprised
her.
“I— okay.” Christina tried to get her thoughts into some sort of order,
but all that remained in her brain was chaos. “When I was younger, things
were different. My dad was always busy with work, but my mom was at
home with us. My older brother, me, and my younger brother. We all went
to public school before— before my mom got sick. She was diagnosed with
cancer when I was nine and it was extremely aggressive. They didn’t even
consider treatment. I literally got pulled out of school for eight months. So
did my brothers. It’s the only time I can remember my dad leaving his
company in anyone else’s hands. He loved my mom a lot. We travelled all
over the place while she still had time. We spent all those days together. I
think they were the best, but probably also the saddest days of my entire
life.”
“Jesus,” Taylor gasped. “I’m sorry.”