"What's the matter? Not ready yet?"
I tugged at the corner of my mouth. "What do you think?"
She poured me a glass of water and sat across from me.
"To be honest... this is my first time too."
That caught me off guard. Words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them.
"You're sure you won't regret this?"
She blinked, then broke into a wide, open smile.
"I won't."
I stopped hesitating. I stood and lifted her into my arms.
She turned her face away, burying it shyly against my chest.
"Tristan."
"Yeah?"
"Be gentle. I'm scared it'll hurt..."
Her face was flushed crimson. I couldn't hold back any longer. I lowered my head and kissed her, hard.
Afterward, I lit a cigarette. My mind was blank.
Cordelia sat against the headboard, the sheets pulled up around her, quiet.
"You seem to have forgotten something."
Before I could respond, she picked up my phone and photographed the spot of red on the sheets.
"It's getting late. Take that and go report back to your boss."
I cursed myself a thousand times over, but my hands still took the phone.
"I'm sorry..."
I threw my clothes on and couldn't bring myself to look at her again.
The door slammed shut behind me. The sound was final.