Japheth
“Don’t do this. Please don’t do this, Regina.”
Although my whole body felt like melted chocolate, I pushed myself off the wooden box and went to where she stood in front of the shelves with her back turned to me. I could practically feel her trying to put up a barrier between us, as surely as if she had started laying bricks and mortar. I placed my hands on her shoulders, and I could feel the tension and tightness that hadn’t been there just moments before.
I gently turned her to face me. She avoided my eyes, but held up the roll of paper towels instead, like some kind of sacrificial offering. I pushed them aside. “I’m fine. I’ll shower when we get back to the house.”
“Okay,” she sniffed, and her voice sounded suspiciously froggy, like she was either crying, or trying t
