[ For a brief moment, she stills. At least on the surface. Beneath the skin, her pulse skips and stutters, moved by his kindly sentiment. What could he know of her worth, in the weeks they’ve kept each other’s company?
She edges closer to give the ribbon more slack and to just — be nearer. ]
No kids. [ echoed agreement, trying out the idea of it. A wife, not a mother. A lover, not a subject.
Her free hand brushes his to take the cigarette and press it between her lips, elegant enough that she must have made use of the packet from the library on her own time. ]
[ quietly teasing, ] You’d stay quarrelsome, then. [ because she deserves it, or simply because she likes the way he challenges her without disrespect. A smoky exhale. ] And handsome, as you are.
no subject
She edges closer to give the ribbon more slack and to just — be nearer. ]
No kids. [ echoed agreement, trying out the idea of it. A wife, not a mother. A lover, not a subject.
Her free hand brushes his to take the cigarette and press it between her lips, elegant enough that she must have made use of the packet from the library on her own time. ]
[ quietly teasing, ] You’d stay quarrelsome, then. [ because she deserves it, or simply because she likes the way he challenges her without disrespect. A smoky exhale. ] And handsome, as you are.