Playing (Inked Hearts 2)

"No." Slowly, she meets my gaze. Her expression gets soft. Vulnerable. "I should tell you something."

"I know you're freaked about sharks."

"No. Well, I am. But that's not it." She takes a deep breath. "It's about… about the past, I guess."

"Is it important?"

"Yeah."

Fuck, she looks terrified.

I want to be someone Iris can lean on. I want her to be comfortable telling me anything.

But is now really the time?

She went from joyous to miserable like that.

Last night was heavy. We need something light. Fun. Easy.

"Will telling me make you feel better?" I ask.

Her brow furrows as she turns over the question. "No, it won't. But this is… you deserve to know."

"That doesn't matter."

"Walker, you—"

"No. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter."

"This will matter to you."

"It won't."

"It will."

My voice gets sure. "No. It won't. The past is the past." I slide my arms around her waist. Pull her closer. "Tell me if you want. That's your call. But if it's something that happened before we met, I don't need to know."

She looks up at me. "But you have no idea what it is."

"I don't care what it is. It doesn't matter. It's not gonna change how I feel about you. I want you exactly as you are."

She blinks, dumbfounded. "Really?"

"Yeah." There's nothing Iris could tell me that would change how I see her.

"Okay. I…" She presses her lips together. "I guess we should get to it then."

"We should."

She motions to the board. "Do I have to do the push-up thing, again?"

"It's easier on land. We need to practice. Get the muscle memory."

"You just like watching me jump in a wet suit." There's still something heavy in her voice.

"It doesn't hurt." I motion to the board.

She rolls onto her stomach, does another pop-up. Sticks the landing.