What kind of relationship was I even stepping into?
These past three days since he showed himself felt like he wasn't Rafael at all. Not the Rafael I had distrusted five years ago. He was still frightening to me.
Yet the wary anxiety in his gaze, the way his jaw clenched in frustration, the confusion tangled in his words—I could read him better now.
Or maybe every word he spoke was truly genuine, and my heart simply recognized it. I wanted to believe that. He was, after all, my lost best friend.
I twisted my arm in his grip, turning my palm to wrap around his big one instead. Even damp with cold sweat, it was still warm, still the same comfort it had always been.
"Rafael…" I held his gaze. "I hate you. Why would you put that burden on me? Teach you?" I scoffed. "You're selfish. And parenting requires selflessness."
