She looked up at him. “I’m not scared,” she replied defiantly, standing up. “I’m not scared of anything, Abel.”
“Well, I can... I can hide it,” she said quickly. “It’s not real. I’m not frightened of you. I love you, Abel.”
She frowned at him. “Well... I mean... it did happen, Abel,” she said tentatively. “And it was awful. I know it wasn’t you, but it did happen.”
“No,” she replied immediately, coming over to him and taking his hands. “I love you. But... it was terrifying, Abel. Just give me a couple of days.”
“I have way more happy memories with you than bad ones,” she told him. “I’m not frightened of you. I just have a few bad moments.”
“This isn’t going to be ruined because I can’t keep my head on straight. We have something really special, you and I,” she told him quietly. “Don’t you feel it?”
She cupped his jaw in her hands, stepping up close to him. “I love you,” she said quietly. “I love you so much, Abel. I know you’d never hurt me and I feel so safe with you. That’s just a little bump in the road.”
He watched her affectionately, leaning into her touch. "I love you too, O. I really hope this is what you say it is."
She frowned, her hands dropping down to his chest uncertainly. “Why wouldn’t it be? You’ve been in love before, right?”
“No, no, of course,” she said adamantly, taking his hands. “I’m just surprised, Abel... I’ve never felt like this about anyone before and I thought maybe...” She looked uncomfortable. “I thought maybe you didn’t feel the same, so I thought it might just be me. But you don’t have anything to compare it to.”
