All the tension of the day untied itself as soon as Coralyn
stepped into the house. The knots came unclenched the minute
she walked through the door. The process would start all over
again as soon as she was gone. Clench up. Perfection on the
outside. A shiny veneer. But not for the next few hours. The
next few hours were just theirs.
“Hi,” Coralyn greeted, a little shy. She started unbuttoning
her coat. After more than a week, they were at the stage where
it got tucked in the closet and her boots went on the expensive
rack.
In another life, they could probably be friends. In another
life, Giana wouldn’t have to deny the rush of pleasure she felt
as soon as Coralyn walked back into her life. In another life,
where sisters didn’t die, and families didn’t splinter. She
wasn’t living that life. She was trapped in this one. Coralyn
might feel like a key to unlocking that door to a few hours of
freedom, but soon enough that door slammed shut and she had
to go back to being on her guard constantly. With Coralyn,
though, she could forget that she was angry all the time, that
swimming under that icy exterior was a river of lava that
boiled in her veins.
That sweet hello made Giana feel transparent.
“What are we going to do tonight?” She had her hands
clasped, her blue eyes huge and curious, waiting for
instruction. She was such a faster learner. Always so eager to
take her punishment. She’d been coming back for nine nights
now. Not one. Nine. How much longer were they going to
keep doing this? The paperwork she was supposed to look at
sat untouched in the same spot on the desk in the office.
“Giana? Are you okay?”