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“So…” I look at the table between us. “That scar on your leg is…?”
He fixes his jaw. “You noticed,” he says.
“Hard not to.”
His eyes go dark for a moment. “I nearly lost it,” he says. “I wish I had some amazing story of heroics to go along with it, but I don’t. A squad mate of mine panicked under pressure, hugged his rifle a little too hard, and I just happened to step in the way at the wrong time.”
I breathe out, my heart breaking. “That’s… a letdown.”
“It really was.” He taps the table. “Anyway, they sent me home and I moved back in with my mother for a while until I could walk again.”
“What does she do?” I ask, happy to shift the subject.
“She was a teacher — at our high school, actually.”
I lean forward. “Wait, what does she teach?”
“English Lit.”
“Mrs. Snow?” My jaw drops as my brain places her. “Your mom is Mrs. Snow?!”
He nods, smiling. “That’s Mom.”
“I loved Mrs. Snow!”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Wow.” I blink with nostalgia. “I haven’t thought about English Lit since… English Lit.”
Clive laughs. “I’m sure she’d understand.”
“I wonder if she remembers me.”
His eyes fall again. “She died last year.”
I lean back, my guts churning with grief. “Oh, god. I’m so sorry,” I say.
“It’s all right.” He waves a hand. “She worshiped her students. I’m sure she would have remembered you.”
Fuck.
How many times am I going to shove my foot in my mouth here?
Still, at least I feel like I know him just a little bit better now. The timeline isn’t exactly complete yet but he’s already revealed so much. And not an ounce of it is fair. I’m not about to make him tell me more. I’m not even sure I want to hear it, in case my heart rips apart.
I exhale hard. “Clive, I am so sorry,” I say again.
“Really, Nora. It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.” I drop my head. “We’ve been here five minutes and I’ve paved over the worst possible subjects in your life…”
Still, he smiles. “I guess, in your case, we can probably re-visit the concept of failure in dating.”
I breathe a laugh. “Fuck. Maybe you’re right.”
Clive extends his hand across the table and rests it on mine. “Nora, I mean it. If I didn’t want to talk to you about these things, I wouldn’t have answered. Okay?”
I nod, feeling his warmth climb up to my elbow. “Okay,” I say.
