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I start walking and Yuri falls into step with me. “It hasn’t been easy. There’s a lot I have to re-learn. The fact that they replaced my favorite diner with another chain restaurant pisses me off.”
“Which one was that?”
“Big Phil’s diner.”
“Oh, there was a rat infestation a couple of years ago. The station covered it.”
“That’s a shame, the rats were part of the thrill.”
Yuri turns to me with a stunned expression bending over with laughter. It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard. I want to hear more of it. I want to be the one that makes her laugh.
“There were rumors that the rats helped prepare the food. Phil never denied the claims, so I’m inclined to believe the rumors.”
“If that was the case, then they made a mean burger. I still haven’t found a place that makes food like he did.”
“Oh, really?” Yuri chimes. “There’s this place my colleagues and I go to for lunch. They really make great burgers, but they are, fortunately, not made by rats.”
“That’s a little disappointing, but I can make do. Maybe you could take me there sometime. I haven’t found a place that makes them how Phil used to.”
Yuri stops and turns to look at me. She chews at her full bottom lip as she stares up at me. “I guess you’ve been having a hard time adjusting to the changes huh?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, I would like to offer my help with finding great dining spots,” she murmurs.
I tilt my head to the side and watch her carefully. “Are you not afraid of me, Yuri?”
“Why would I be afraid of you?”
“You know why I was in prison. People I’ve never met are scared of me because they know what got me there. Most people still don’t believe I deserve to be out of—”
“Well, most people haven’t felt powerless like those girls have,” Yuri says, trying to mask her pain before I catch it. “I know why you were in prison, Adam. I know what you did to those men, but the why is more important to me. As someone who’s felt powerless at the hands of a creep, I only got away because someone else stepped in and saved my life. You saved three women that night. You willingly paid the price for that so no, I’m not afraid of you.”
I should be relieved by her words but all they do is ignite a dangerous fire in me. All I can think about is that someone hurt Yuri.
Someone hurt her.
Someone who better be dead or will be, soon.
“Anyway, if you need any help adjusting, I’m happy to help.”
I stare at the woman I have fallen irrevocably in love with and push down my dark thoughts. Sure, I want to find the man that hurt her and punish him, but I can’t ask her about it just yet. Instead, I force on a smile.
“What do you say about tomorrow?” I ask.
“Huh?”
“I haven’t had a good meal since I got out.” Mostly because I can’t make myself stay away long enough from you to dine. “I could use your help finding a good place.”
“I don’t get off work until nine.”
I shrug. “I can wait.”
Yuri stares up at me. “It might be even later before I finish work and head home to freshen up. Are you sure?”
I’ve been following her to and from work for close to a month, not leaving until she’s settled in both. Waiting for her to get ready is nothing.
“I’m sure.”
