Member-only story
What You Made of Me
To Lissa, a man’s attention might be her undoing.
“Lissa, you’re so beautiful.”
The words from Zachariah — a man who was twenty years older than her in the Commune — startled her when she first heard them. The man was her father’s best friend, and they created the sermons that were spoken in church every Sunday. Lissa was only sixteen, but she liked the way Zachariah’s eyes appraised her fondly as if she were something worthwhile — a treasure.
“Do — do you really think so?” she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before she gazed back in Zachariah’s direction to see that he was still staring at her intently.
“I know so,” he said. Then he curled his fingers towards her, beckoning her forward, and she leaned in — suddenly eager for whatever he had to say to her. “Why do you think I do?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Because God works in mysterious ways, Lissa — and you and I? We were meant to meet.”
Then Zachariah surprised her by tugging a strand of her hair before backing away, smiling at her. She found herself blushing. It was the first time a man’s attention had ever nestled deep inside her, nestling into place like a wonderful beacon of something more.
