fancycarrots
"You're smarter than most people I've met, Mel...And I've wondered if that's what you wanted from me - to be taught. Or if you wanted...something gentler. People think I don't care. I do. Just... not the right way, maybe."
Her fingers tap against the box of fries in her hands. She bites the inside of her cheek.
"If that's the only kind of care I know, does it still count?"
This is the first time Val offers herself. And Mel, as always, receives it without making it heavier than it has to be.
******
For once, Valentina's facade starts to drop, having been shaken up by her encounter with Bob, and her assistant, Mel, notices. Val indirectly seeks her companionship. Long story short, Valentina cares more than she'd like to admit. And that care begins a long series of choices.