Page 98 of Healing Eleanor

“I don’t expect you to understand that right now,” I add, gentle but certain. “But the truth is—you don’t have to fight this alone. You were never meant to.”

She tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “How do you know?”

I tilt my head to the side, confused by her question. “What do you mean?” I ask.

“What it feels like.” She laces her fingers together. “You say God got you through your hard times—that He’s always with you, but how do you know? What does it feel like to know?”

I don’t know how to answer her question, because in all honesty, it’s different for everyone. But an idea comes to me, and I hope that it’s enough to answer her question. “I can’t explain it in words… but I can show you.”

She raises an eyebrow, likely confused by where I’m going with this.

I rise from my chair, drop some cash on the table, and extend my hand towards her. “Come with me?”

She stares at my outstretched hand like it’s a foreign object, hesitation flickering across her face. “Where?”

I smile, just enough to soften her suspicion. “To show you what I mean. Trust me.”

Her fingers hover in her lap, tightly laced together. For a moment I think she’ll refuse, bury herself back in the safety of her teacup. But then slowly, almost reluctantly, she slides her hand into mine.

Warmth spreads through me at the simple touch. I curl my fingers gently around hers, steady but not demanding, and help her from the chair.

“I don’t know what you’re planning,” she mutters under her breath, though I catch the faintest tremor of curiosity in her tone.

“You don’t have to,” I reply. “Just… come.”

Eleanor

Nik’s hand is warm in mine. I hold on to it for dear life, having no idea where he’s taking me. I find myself thinking about what he said about trust, and I can’t help but feel like the more I’m around him, the more I do trust him.

He leads us toward the exit, and my curiosity piques more now than ever. Are we… going out in the rain?

He pushes the door open, and the storm’s roar surrounds us. The awning does little to shield us, and the rain falls so hard it bounces back from the pavement, soaking my ankles.

He turns to me, water cascading down his face. “I can’t tell you what following God feels like, but… I think this is pretty close.” His hand tightens around mine as he tugs me into the downpour.

My instinct is to pull back, to cling to control, to avoid the mess. But his joy is contagious, impossible to resist.

“It… it feels like being free.” He grins, utterly drenched, eyes alive. “It feels like dancing in the rain.”

I laugh, and wipe the water from my eyes. “Are you crazy?”

He shrugs, skipping along the soaked pavement. “Maybe a little.” He grabs my hand once more. “Come on.”

Nik drags me near the fountain just beyond the café. The lights from the stores cast a glow along the ground.

“Go ahead and dance, Eleanor.” He smiles at me, making a few ridiculous moves that pull a laugh from me.

“I—I can’t” I try to think of an excuse. “What if I get hurt?”

He steps closer, just enough for me to hear him over the loud rain. “You won’t. Don’t try to be perfect. If you try, you’ll slip and fall, but if you just… dance—like no one’s watching, you’ll be just fine.” A broad smile crosses his face. “Now come on, show me what you got Montgomery.”

Hearing my last name in his voice sends something unfamiliar through me.

Almost as much as the nickname he called me earlier. But I can’t deny that I like it.

“Fine,” I shout over the roar of the rain.

I do a lousy twirl. It isn’t meticulous, and it’s way off balance. I do a few more, just to prove I’ve done enough, when I start to enjoy it. The feeling of it all. I’m not trying. I keep spinning, feeling the freezing rain pelt my skin. I feel happy, free even.