Her Collateral Bride: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

matter to either of them. They were going to different colleges,

but both pursuing music.

“So, you basically live in a gilded cage,” Elva said. She was

always direct, and Haley was thankful for it now. “Even

though this crazy lady says it’s not a prison, if you’re not

really free to leave and it’s messing with your head and every

other aspect of your life and you have a babysitter constantly,

then it’s a jail.”

“What’s she like?” Amy asked. She sighed, like the whole

thing was romantic in some way. Amy liked reading dark

romances. She was crazy for mafia stuff especially. She hadn’t

had very many boyfriends, so she still had space to think

naively.

“Uh, I don’t really know. She’s never around.” Haley sipped

her chocolate banana smoothie. It was delicious, even talking

about her distasteful situation. You know. You know all about

her. She’s the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen. Classy

and elegant in a way you hope you can be when you’re older.

“She’s younger than my dad, probably thirty-four or thirty-

five. She’s not motherly at all.”

“Maybe she’s been wounded in other ways before,” Amy

suggested. “In ways of the heart.”

“Oh my God. Amy!” Elva didn’t like that. She was friends

with Amy through Haley, and they all liked each other and

hung out together often, but Elva was so practical and Amy

was so dreamy that they rarely agreed on anything. “It’s not

romantic. It’s illegal, is what it is. I’m pretty sure you can’t

hold a person against their will like that in exchange for a

loan.”

Something frantic stabbed at Haley’s stomach. It felt like