•Disconnectedᵐᶜᵈ

Chapter 6 - Dante's POV

I finished getting dressed and stepped out of my bedroom, looking down the hallway towards Nicole, who was sitting in a position as if she were overcome with stress and exhaustion.

I sat beside her on the sofa and placed a hand on her knee comfortingly, "Nikkie? Are you alright?"

She looked up and flashed a small smile, "Yeah. Everything's fine. Shall we?"

"Are you sure you want to wear long sleeves? It's very humid outside," I took her hand , and held it between us, looking down at the dress which didn't seem fitting for the summer.

Her smile vanished. She dropped my hand and tucked them behind her back, hiding them from my view, "I-It'll be fine. It w-won't bother me..."

I reached forward and gently grabbed her arm, only to find it taken back from my grasp. I looked up at Nicole, already having thoughts on what she was hiding. "Nicole, let me see your arm."

I delicately grabbed her arms again, watching the tears pooling in her eyes, matching my own. I rolled the sleeve of her dress up, my breath catching in my windpipe as I saw the shallow, short scars marked on her skin. They appeared to be healing, but it saddened and worried me for the sake of Nicole. "Nicole... W-Why?"

She wrapped her trembling arms around my neck, her sleeve still rolled up. I could feel her body shaking with her sobs as I, too, let my tears fall.

She pulled away, wiping the tears off of her cheeks. I looked down as she walked away, and I heard the door of the bathroom close. Moments later, she walked out, avoiding my eyes.

"I have a job interview to get to. Let's go."

The walk was silent, neither of us speaking. Nicole looked even more pale whenever I stole a glance at her.

We stopped in front of the building, an elegant, four story department. I looked down where she was gazing at me, more tears swimming in her eyes. She brought her hand up to the side of my face, kissing my cheek unexpectedly. Without another look, she turned and strode into the building, displaying yet another act of confidence.