Slowburn

Chapter 20

        It was a nice day outside. The weather in Boston isn't so overwhelmingly hot at this time of year. Living in Louisiana for the past two years taught me a whole new level of heat I didn't know existed. Today was a calm Saturday in the park. As soon as Val saw me practically skipping over to him he grinned and opened his arms out for me. 

"Hey babe" he pecked the side of my head while I buried my face into his chest. It reminded me of the hug I gave Renzo this morning, and it reminded me of why I need to stay away from him. I nuzzled into my boyfriend and took in his familiar scent. 

"You said you don't have work tonight? How come?" He asked me as I pulled away and we grabbed hands to walk. "Well, that's that thing...I wanted to tell you something, but I wanted to explain it in person just so you wouldn't worry and all that" I started getting really nervous. 

What if I tell him I work at the gentlemen's club and he loses all respect for me. If I told him about WHO robbed us I would have to explain WHY it started, which was when I was dressed like a slutty girl and almost had a man ejaculate on me. 

No...I can't do that. He'd never be okay with that.

        I will tell him the partial truth and be done with it. I have to. I'm too afraid to do anything else. If he broke up with me I wouldn't even know what to do with myself. Would I return home? Would I feel like a failure for trying so hard to venture out on my own only to go running back to my parents with my tail tucked between my legs? 

Val stopped walking and turned toward me to see what I was talking about. "What's going on?" He actually looked worried which made me more guilty. "Nothing bad...just, well, last night my job was almost robbed. Everything is fine now, but-" I didn't get to finish. 

Val had looked nervous but his expression changed to surprise. "Oh my god, babe, are you alright?!" He held me at arms length as if he'd see something wrong. Good thing my lip didn't have a cut on it.

        When I'd been slapped I think I bit the inside of my lip a little bit, but after the initial wiping of blood nothing came of it, which was good because I didn't want Renzo or Val to see any marks on me. What happened in the office can stay there. 

"I promise that I am fine. It was very scary at the moment, but my job handled everything with grace and the police handled everything else" I told him. "Tell me everything" he pulled me to a bench to sit down rather than to walk the course we were headed towards. It made me more nervous. 

"I was really hoping to stretch my legs and settle my mind...can we walk and talk?" I asked him. Sitting here looking him dead in the eye would make me cave and tell him every ounce of truth, and I am just not willing to risk that yet. Everything is so new and fragile. I will tell him. Just not yet. 

I watched Val sigh and smooth out his combed hair. "Alright, but you're telling me everything" he warned me, getting to his feet first, then taking my hand to lift me onto mine. I told him 'everything' or at least the version I was willing to tell.

        I told him it happened after the restaurant was closed. I told him mostly the truth about how they came through the back exit and how they held my co-workers in one room while they came into my office for the iron safe. I didn't tell him about the hair pulling and slap. I just told him they had guns and it was scary. 

I didn't mention how Renzo went bad ass and held one of their own men against him to save us girls. I just said our security is great and police had come before anyone was hurt or anything was actually taken. 

This diluted version of the truth still shook Val to his core. We had stopped on the walking trail like 8 times while he reacted to each new part of the story.