Frank walked to the bed, pulling the sheets up. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and plugged it in. “I was.”
“What changed?” I asked as I turned back to him.
Frank raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you saying I'm not happy?”
“Are you saying you are?” I countered.
He fell silent. “Do you need a charger for your phone?”
I shook my head, already having it charging in my bedroom. I didn't need to get up, so I didn't need an alarm.
Frank crawled into the bed, not seeming to notice me standing still. He fluffed his pillow and glanced at me. “I don't bite.”
“I..” I chewed on my lower cheek, knowing I was being childish. I'd shared a bed before, so it wasn't that big of a deal. I walked over, pulled the sheets up, and crawled onto my side. I found the bed was comfortable, and the sheets were high-count. The bed was warm, and I could feel the heat radiate from Frank.
I smelled cedar and bit hard onto my cheek.
“I'm getting up early tomorrow.”
“You normally do,” I said as I leaned back against the pillow. I stared at the ceiling and heard Frank flick the light off. The room fell dark, and I swallowed, feeling my heart race.
I chewed on my lower lip, trying to calm myself. But my mind seemed to travel everywhere, and it went back to the kiss. Frank was rough as he kissed me. It was different from anyone else I had been with, which wasn't many. They were all gentle, like they were afraid I was going to break, but Frank hadn't. He was almost like a hunger.
“Why do you hate me?” The words slipped out before I could even think.
“What?” Frank shifted, and I could see his head looking at me.
“I know you do,” I whispered as I glanced at him. The moon had left little light in the room, but I could still make out his face. “I just don't understand why.”
“I don't hate you.”
I scuffed. “I don't think lying is a good look for you.”
“I'm not lying,” he sighed. “Go to sleep.”
But I couldn't. I sat up and turned to him. “Tell me the truth. We're married, after all, Frank. I have a right to know. You can’t think that this relationship we have is good.”
Frank remained silent. After a moment, he sat up and flicked the light back on. He turned to me. “Again, I don't hate you.”
“Well, you certainly don't like me. But you kissed me like you wanted me. So, which is it? Because I'm tired of not knowing.”
Frank ran a hand over his face. “I don't hate you, Nina. I just don't trust you.”
I think that hurt more. I frowned, not understanding what I had done for him to not trust me. “I haven't done anything for you to not trust me.”
“You're just like them, Nina.”
“Who's them?” I asked, waving my hands. “I've done nothing wrong.”
Frank ran a hand over his face. “My mother and stepmother.”
My arms fell as I stared at him. I looked over my shoulder at the photos, realizing he didn't have any pictures of them. Just Kerr and his father. I looked back at him, feeling my stomach sink. They had to have done something terrible for Frank to react this way. “What did they do?”
Frank looked almost in pain as he stared at me. “They manipulated people, and they were good at it. People got hurt.”
I frowned. “What does that have to do with me? How am I like them?”
Frank scowled. “They were humans.”
