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"A gift is something you've thought of and it's something special," Mykie huffed. "Going on a shopping trip with your sister and waving yet another reason in my face as to why I'm not meant to be with you is not making me feel special."
"Another reason? What's the first one?"
Mykie let out a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms. "I thought it was obvious when you could have died. We come from two different worlds, Renly. I'm trying really hard right now to let you in, but seeing this…"
She pulled a dress tag out of the rack at random and showed him the price. "We were raised with different worldly expectations. You're expected to go into business and take over your father's company one day, while I'm just expected to survive and live within my means."
"We aren't that different, Mykie. We have the same values, even if we were raised a little different," he reassured her.
She snorted. "We don't have the same values. I don't blink an eye when I have to torture someone to get my way. I'm almost positive that you've never even held a gun, much less thought about the way it feels to hold the means to end someone's life at your fingertips."
Renly was breathing faster, but his eyes never wavered from her face.
"You don't know me," she whispered.
"But I do," he said just as quietly. "You may have been trained to defend yourself, but you're not evil. You have morals and a heart. It means you're not all bad, and you do what you have to do to survive. How can I not commend that?"
Mykie looked away, breaking eye contact. He was trying to reason to her and himself that she wasn't dangerous.
"Even if you don't think I'm too bad, it's still risky," she murmured. "Just because you think I'm good, doesn't mean everyone else is."
"Why would you let Ryker get close and work with you, then?" Renly questioned. "How isn't it just as dangerous for me as it is for him, and he's even closer?"
"I'm not going to discuss your brother with you. I would tell him the same thing if he brought you up. Ryker and I are…friendly with one another and trust me when I say that I don't discuss you with him, and I won't do the same with you."
She fixed her shoulder strap on her bag and turned around. No dress was worth being questioned the entire time.
He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could escape. "I'm sorry, all right? I'm trying to get used to the idea of you with other men besides me but seeing you with my brother…even him just bumping into you made my blood boil."
She said nothing as she watched him get his emotions under control.
"I know I've gotten in over my head, but I don't know what I'm doing, Mykie. Teach me. You think I'm throwing my world in your face, so throw yours into mine. Show me how you live and tell me why you're trying so hard to change your mind about me. About us," he said, his voice desperate and breathy as his hand tightened around hers. "We have a spark, Mykie. Stop trying to find reasons to walk it back. Don't just give up before we even have a chance to explore it. I'm willing to try this thing with you, if you are?"
She sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to try.
When she didn't answer, Renly continued his attempt to convince her. "You don't have to worry about me. You defended me before and got me out of there. If something happens, I know you'll do it again. I trust you enough to risk it."
She felt herself wavering now that she heard how much he wanted to try. Everyone in her life was telling her to go for it, so why was she still holding back?
"Mykie, come look at this one!" Ellenora squealed.
Mykie called over her shoulder that she would be right with her before she sighed and looked at Renly one last time.
"I know that you said you're willing to risk it," she said, stepping closer to him, "and I want to risk my heart to try this relationship with you all, but I can't say I'm happy with the bigger risks that come with being with me. I can't let you agree to put your life in my hands just because we have a spark. I need to talk to Corbus and make sure everyone is aware of the risks before I can go any further with you."
She squeezed his hand one more time before she spotted Ellenora at the front of the store.
"This would look amazing on you," she said loudly, holding up a green dress against Mykie's chest once Mykie came to stand beside her.
"I don't think so," Mykie said as gently as possible. She didn't want to offend her accidentally.
Ellenora paused for a moment, and Mykie was waiting for the girl to start crying, or something. Instead, she scrunched up her face and took the dress away from in front of Mykie. "Eh, maybe you're right."
She pulled the dress back and stuffed it back on one of the racks.
"I saw that you were fighting with Renny, so I wanted to pull you over here before one of you said something you'd regret," Ellenora said in a low, conversational tone as she flicked through another rack.
"What? Why?" Mykie asked.
