CHAPTER 10
How can you stare into my face
Knowing what you've done with my trust you've misplaced?
-Trik Turner, "Temptation"
"No!" Rafe roared.
Yanking his hands free from Livvie's grasp, he shot up from his seat.
Livvie remained seated on the couch, her mouth agape, staring down at her separated hands.
"No, Livvie, no!" Rafe repeated, stepping away from her.
"No! You're lying to me!" he declared, pointing at her.
His violent reaction shocked her. Rafe was normally such a passive person. Why would he react so strongly now?
Luckily, Livvie was a strong woman, stronger than most. She would not let anyone intimidate her, especially not Angel Boy Rafe.
"No, Rafe, I'm not."
Livvie stood, slowly inching her way toward him.
"I'm sorry, Rafe. I truly am, but those pictures - those photographs you said were of your 'family' - Rafe, the people in those photographs are actors. They're just modeling, having their pictures taken to fill a frame. They're not your family, Rafe. I have the same pictures in the same frames at home!"
Rafe didn't need to know, Livvie decided, that the photos were actually gifts from Lucy and that they were not only his family but hers as well.
"I don't believe you," Rafe growled.
He pointed at her again.
"There's something you're not telling me, something important. I can feel it."
"No, Rafe, I'm telling you the truth," said Livvie, her dark eyes peering at him under long eyelashes heavy with black mascara. "Yes, you did used to live here. We both did. That's how I knew where you were. You had no family, though, Rafe. I was your family. We were all each other had."
"How can you do that?" asked Rafe, his hazel eyes filling with rage.
"Do what?" Livvie countered, answering his question with a question of her own.
"How you can you look me in the eyes and lie to me, Livvie? Tell me how!" he demanded.
Livvie scoffed.
"Imagine whatever you want, Rafe. I am not lying to you. I never lie to you. You wanna know why? Because I love you! I do everything for you!"
"No, Livvie," Rafe disagreed coldly. "No, you don't. You're working some kind of agenda for yourself. I can see it in your eyes. There's darkness in you, Livvie. There's a darkness that scares me, and I think it scares you, too."
"Oh, there's 'darkness' in me?"
Livvie couldn't believe her ears.
"What about you, Rafe?"
"Me?" he countered angrily.
"Yeah, you heard me," Livvie declared, her face flushing with anger. "Your life is darkness. Your life is empty, except for me. There are no vampires here, no demons. There's nothing for you to slay, nothing for you to do. There's just me, and I'm sorry if you wish there were more, but there isn't. It's just us."
"No, no, no!"
Rafe simply could not believe it. He would not believe it.
"Alison would not lie to me!" he cried.
"'Alison?'" repeated Livvie, shocked.
How can you stare into my face
Knowing what you've done with my trust you've misplaced?
-Trik Turner, "Temptation"
"No!" Rafe roared.
Yanking his hands free from Livvie's grasp, he shot up from his seat.
Livvie remained seated on the couch, her mouth agape, staring down at her separated hands.
"No, Livvie, no!" Rafe repeated, stepping away from her.
"No! You're lying to me!" he declared, pointing at her.
His violent reaction shocked her. Rafe was normally such a passive person. Why would he react so strongly now?
Luckily, Livvie was a strong woman, stronger than most. She would not let anyone intimidate her, especially not Angel Boy Rafe.
"No, Rafe, I'm not."
Livvie stood, slowly inching her way toward him.
"I'm sorry, Rafe. I truly am, but those pictures - those photographs you said were of your 'family' - Rafe, the people in those photographs are actors. They're just modeling, having their pictures taken to fill a frame. They're not your family, Rafe. I have the same pictures in the same frames at home!"
Rafe didn't need to know, Livvie decided, that the photos were actually gifts from Lucy and that they were not only his family but hers as well.
"I don't believe you," Rafe growled.
He pointed at her again.
"There's something you're not telling me, something important. I can feel it."
"No, Rafe, I'm telling you the truth," said Livvie, her dark eyes peering at him under long eyelashes heavy with black mascara. "Yes, you did used to live here. We both did. That's how I knew where you were. You had no family, though, Rafe. I was your family. We were all each other had."
"How can you do that?" asked Rafe, his hazel eyes filling with rage.
"Do what?" Livvie countered, answering his question with a question of her own.
"How you can you look me in the eyes and lie to me, Livvie? Tell me how!" he demanded.
Livvie scoffed.
"Imagine whatever you want, Rafe. I am not lying to you. I never lie to you. You wanna know why? Because I love you! I do everything for you!"
"No, Livvie," Rafe disagreed coldly. "No, you don't. You're working some kind of agenda for yourself. I can see it in your eyes. There's darkness in you, Livvie. There's a darkness that scares me, and I think it scares you, too."
"Oh, there's 'darkness' in me?"
Livvie couldn't believe her ears.
"What about you, Rafe?"
"Me?" he countered angrily.
"Yeah, you heard me," Livvie declared, her face flushing with anger. "Your life is darkness. Your life is empty, except for me. There are no vampires here, no demons. There's nothing for you to slay, nothing for you to do. There's just me, and I'm sorry if you wish there were more, but there isn't. It's just us."
"No, no, no!"
Rafe simply could not believe it. He would not believe it.
"Alison would not lie to me!" he cried.
"'Alison?'" repeated Livvie, shocked.