SCARRED Read Online Free Page B

way he asked her what she wanted. He made her feel like she mattered.
          When he reemerged from the kitchen, he carried a tray with two steaming mugs of coffee. Once he sat her mug in front of her she dug her fork into the orange cake. The flavor was intense and the butter cream icing melted in her mouth.
          “How do you like it?”
          “It’s delicious!”
          “Now try the Tiramisu, that’s my favorite dessert.”
          Serene took a sip of coffee before she took a bite. The cake was moist and felt spongy on her tongue. The slight sweet flavor of some kind of liquor filled her mouth and she swallowed with satisfaction. “Oh wow! That is really good!” She ignored the cannoli until she had eaten all of the other two. She had eaten cannoli before and wasn’t impressed.
          “Do you want more?” he asked rising slightly and reaching for the serving knife.
          She leaned back and shook her hands at him before letting them rest on her stomach. “Oh no, I’m stuffed!”
          He sat back down satisfied. He was pleased she had enjoyed it. “More coffee?”
          “Yeah, that would be nice. Hey, can we sit in the living room?”
          He paused before answering. “You would like to do that?”
          “Well yeah. Maybe we can watch a movie.”
          “Ok.” He said quietly.
          Serene happily rose from the chair and went into the living room. He watched her for a moment and felt conflicting emotions warring within him. Ever since he first saw Serene, pale and timid, walk out the back door of that horrible house, he wanted to protect her. He had expected something very different; a hardened whore with a worn look. What he found was a woman barely an adult, with large scared eyes; a broken bird who was possibly lonelier than he was.
          He watched her a moment longer as she turned the T.V. on and began flipping through the channels. He would ensure her safety for their year together. He would refine her, spoil her, and eventually have to let her go. The thought took some of the air from his lungs.
          Serene laughed hysterically with her arms clutching her stomach. Lawson chuckled more at her than the movie they were watching. She was like a child, an under-privileged child. Lawson had popped popcorn and she was happily eating handfuls of the stuff, licking the butter from her fingers. There would be time for etiquette lessons later; for now he was happy to just spoil her.
          The movie ended and she began surfing the channels looking for something else.
          “Would you like to go clothes shopping?”
          Serene gave him a sidelong look and frowned. “My clothes look rough, but I keep them clean.”
          “It’s not meant as an insult. I just thought women liked to clothes shop.”
          Women do, Serene thought. Unfortunately the meager earnings from Ted had to go towards food, toiletries, and what was left over was only enough to shop at the Goodwill. She didn’t say any of it out loud, however. She was too embarrassed to speak it out loud.
          “I would like to.” She said quietly.
          “Good. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so I’ll drop you off at the mall and pick up later.”
          “Does that mean you’re staying here tonight?”
          “Yes. I will stay every weekend with you.”
          “Where do you go during the week?”
          “I work.”
          Serene didn’t buy any of it. She felt an inexplicable jealousy well up within her. “You’re married aren’t you?” She spat the words out like a curse.
          Lawson sighed and turned his head away. “Not anymore.”
          The sadness in his voice made Serene regret the harshness of her words. “What happened?”
          She could see his throat work as he swallowed. “She died.”
          The pain in his voice was terrible, causing his voice