You Can Read Me

Snapped

I sat at my kitchen island with a warm mug of tea cupped in my hands, the blizzard rocking the house. Opposite to me sat Shadow, who was still frustrated at me for not telling him my name.

The weather report an hour ago said this storm was the worst in a century, and would most likely go on for a week, but the signal kept cutting out, so we don't know. But a week! Seven whole days alone, in my house, with Shadow. 

The universe just likes to laugh at me sometimes. 

I shifted around uncomfortably on the stool, now in fresh clothes and cover-up. It's not that Shadow hasn't seen me without the sweater and sweatpants before, it's just that I feel nervous with anyone seeing my figure.

Seven days, alone with Shadow, in my house. I can't get over it. I mean, my guest room is all ready, I have plenty of food in my house because I dislike shopping, and he could probably wear my sweaters and sweatpants. But a boy, Shadow no less, would be with me. 

No, no, no, stop thinking. Love is bad. Too much love, even friendship now, will break me. They'll betray me, hate me, they'll kill me. They don't really care about me, they'd keep running if I fell.

"Are you okay?" Shadow suddenly said. I didn't realize he had been watching me and I looked up from the death stare I had been giving my tea, "You seemed like you were drowning." I took a sip of my tea as I contemplated an answer.

"Y... yeah. I... I'm fine." I responded after a moment of contemplating if I should say the truth, before reminding myself that to Shadow, I was still a stranger. Over the months of reading his mind, gosh I really don't like that explanation, I became friends with him in ways he wouldn't connect with me. I idealized him in my head and forgot that he doesn't even know my name.

"Okay. About what you said earlier," Shadow said, getting straight to his point, "What did you mean by 'It's like comparing injuries'?"

I sighed. I didn't know how to explain this.

"Um," I said after a long moment of thinking, "you... you shouldn't ever compare injuries, b... because each one is different, not only in the... the intensity and area, but in the in... individual experience. You... you can't exactly describe how it... it felt to go through this or that, and another person could just... just say, 'yeah, well I... I've gone through something twice as bad.' The... the same break, or sprain, or whatever could happen to two different people, and they would react in totally different ways based on their experiences."

Shadow took a moment to process and understand what I had said, before nodding his head in agreement.

"What do you think of mind reading?" I blurted out without really thinking. I clasped my hands over my mouth as soon as I said it, the realization of what I had just done sinking in like quicksand. I had never even asked Cream that question, and I had just risked my entire existence to this stupid black and red hedgehog who doesn't even know my name.

What. Had. I. Just. Done.

"Mind reading..." Shadow said, giving me a look, one which I didn't want to read into right now, as I was in panic mode.

"Forget it!" I said in a rushed voice, "It's a weird question, not really worth answering. I have no idea where that came from, forget I asked!"

"You know," Shadow said with the slightest hint of amusement in his voice, "you are the cutest, yet most suspicious thing in the world right now. I'm guessing you already know that secret of the universe, but I'll answer anyway." 

Cutest?

He didn't seem to realize he said it, taking a moment to think, part of him wondering why I would ask that, but also knowing if he answered, there would be a chance I'd explain the randomness.