They talked for three hours.
That night, Elo called Sky.
“I think I like someone,” she said.
“Tell me everything,” Sky said.
His name was Daniel. He was sweet and he listened.
After two months of coffee and long walks, Daniel asked her a question.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” he said.
“Yes,” she said, surprising herself with how easy the word felt.
Several months later, she decided to tell him everything.
They sat in his car after dinner, parked under a streetlight.
“There’s something you should know about me,” she said.
“Okay,” he said.
“When I was eight,” she said slowly, “someone hurt me. They put wires in my head. It was part of an experiment. I wrote a book about it. I started a foundation.”
He was quiet for a long moment.
“Elo,” he said finally, “it’s okay if it’s too much to tell.”
“No,” she said. “I want you to know.”
“I’m just sad it happened to you,” he said. “But I’m not scared off.”
He took her hand.
“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met,” he said.
Tears pricked her eyes.
“Really?”
“Really,” he said.
She kissed him, and it felt safe.