TWH: Word Prompt Challenges

You may be good at most things, but...

 "You may be good at most things, but you are not good at acting innocent"  

He's deliberately miss-remembering her words, examining the memory with rose colored glasses to lessen the blow. It's nice to think that she held in some sort of restraint as she told him off. Changing her wording, altering the cadence, alters the meaning. He deserved - deserves - the words as they were spoken. He'd fucked up magnificently and is now suffering the consequences.

In his mind he warps the memory to fit a different narrative. Sometimes she's heartbroken, voice cracking... Sometimes her eyes are rimmed in red and she can barely get out the words: "You may be good at most things, but you are not good at acting innocent."

"Not good? Honey, that's how I earn my living!" How he wishes he hadn't said that in response. While on the subject of wishes and wanting to change events of the past... No. That doesn't do any good.

Sometimes he alters her words further, adding in a pet name to show she still cares even if she's reading him the riot act. Sometimes he images her stroking his ego more, focusing less on the fact that he was trying to lessen her anger by putting on a pleading expression.

She had, in reality, not stuttered once as she stared him down, loosing the wounding words on him without a single tear escaping her. There had been no wobble to her voice.

"You may be good at many things, but you're fucking shit at acting innocent."

Though he'd put on a big of bravado and thrown a sassy remark right back at her, inwardly her words had made him wince. Thing of it is, she wasn't - isn't - wrong. All the more reason to keep people at arm's length. Eventually those he allows close see through his guises and start to catch glimpses of the man beneath. But God, love them and leave them was a tiresome way to live. He'd wanted more. Gotten more. And then fucked it up.