Re: Well after 6, opening day
Simon exhaled as he watched her remove the painting from the wall, and he was sure his heart was hammering loud enough in his chest for everyone around to hear. He licked lips that had suddenly gone dry, unsure he could find the words to answer her.
But somehow, he managed, though they came out quiet and a bit stuttering. "Not a cent," he said softly before he let out another breath, this one trembling. "I don't take money from family." He wanted to pinch his arm to try and remind himself that this wasn't a dream, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. She wouldn't talk this way if she didn't have reason to, and the only person who could have reason to react to those words would be...
He closed his eyes again, searching for some calm, some peace when it seemed that things were coming to some ultimate conclusion he wasn't sure he could handle. Simon had been lied to before about his family, about where he came from. He wasn't sure he could handle being let down.