Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

He sounds interested, so I answer honestly. “Not really. I
still felt like shit, I just had better adjectives to describe it.”
I hear some rustling on the other end of the line, like he’s
moving around. Then he exhales. “I’m sorry you’ve had such
a rough time.”
“Oh god. Please don’t feel sorry for me. I hate pity more
than anything else in the world.”
“It’s not pity. It’s empathy.”
“I’m not sure they’re so different.”
“They are. One is condescending. The other is
understanding what someone’s going through because you’ve
been there. And you wouldn’t wish that kind of suffering on
anyone else. And you wish you could make it better.”
His voice drops. “I wish I could make it better for you.”
Emotion wells in my chest, rising up to form a lump in my
throat. After swallowing a few times, I say quietly, “In that
case, thank you.”
After a moment when I don’t say anything else, he
murmurs, “If it’s all right, I’d like to kiss you when I see you
next.”
“I thought I was supposed to be making the first move.”
“You did. You called me. The ball’s in my court now. What
do you say?”
I like it that he’s asking permission. He doesn’t seem like
he’s a man who asks permission for anything.
“I say…probably. But I can’t guarantee it. My feelings
around you are pretty unpredictable. I could want to kiss you
one minute and push you into traffic the next. We’ll have to
play it by ear.”
He chuckles. “Fair enough.”
“So…” I take a breath and gather my courage. “The reason
I’m calling is to find out if you’re free tonight.”