Risks

Carson stares at Jess as she studies his eyes, his own studying right back. What was her angle… Why did she see those things…and were they real?

He blinks and drops his gaze, contemplating for a moment. Finally he straightens up so he’s facing forward in his seat, swinging his feet back down on the floor. Leaning his elbows on the table, he stares down into his own milkshake, still finding it too thick to suck through his straw.

“The one who can read my eyes can read my soul. And the one who reads my soul risks seeing who I really am.”

Letting his gaze drift back up, he realizes he’s only inches from Jess’s own eyes and he swallows hard, his voice’s tone lowering. “And those seeing who I really am risk disappointment. For I’m but a dreamless shadow of who they believed me to be.”