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I wasn't quite sure I had heard him correctly. Safe word? I laughed out loud despite myself.
"Umm... I mean..." I pushed his body back gently, not wanting to offend him. I scooted myself back and sat up against the headboard of the bed. "Of course I know what a safe word is, but... why do you ask? Is this what you've been wanting to talk to me about?" I pulled his bedsheets up around myself to cover my exposed body, suddenly feeling vulnerable.
Johnny sat down on the bed in front of me. He took a deep breath, and paused a moment before speaking. "In a way, yes. I... I need to tell you something." He appeared nervous.
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Immediately, I could only think the worst. He doesn't really love me, he made a mistake, this isn't going to work. He was silent for a moment, which only made my sense of dread grow.
"Lucy, I need to tell you about Allison."
Allison? I felt like I might vomit.
He must have noticed the color drain from my face as he reached out a hand and squeezed my arm gently. "Allison is my ex-girlfriend."
His voice sounded shaky, unlike the confident man I had come to know. He continued on, "I need to make one thing abundantly clear—I love you. I would absolutely never hurt you. I just hope after hearing what I have to say, your feelings about me don't change. But I understand if they do." Johnny's expression had shifted to one of guilt and shame.
