starredcomplexion:

                 hector would gulp . was that a fact ? he surly didn’t know . what he did know was that caroline knew how to move , and that he liked it , so he assumed that it must , indeed , be a fact . he continues to smile , though it is a bit more nervous than it had been before . he should be leading , but he can barely tell who’s doing what now , with them so close together . this isn’t the woman he’s grown to know . perhaps he’d always admired her spunk , but now she seemed … happy . hector was glad about that .

‘ no one’s ever had the time , i’m afraid , ’ he barely had the time to learn , that was . a year went by with cassetti running him to death , and before that , his education and the beginnings of his career had done the same . at what point could he have learned to dance ? maybe if he had taken the time to learn - or done anything fun - he wouldn’t be so uptight today . macqueen laughs , shaking his head to avert his eyes from her captivating ones . ‘ if you aren’t lying , i suppose i should say thank you , ’

_{caroline understood what macqueen had meant, for she had seen what working for scum such as cassetti had done to the already, hopelessly nervous man. the loss of his father too, a man and a corrupt system whom she should have resented more than the killer himself. a strike of guilt colored the woman’s features — eyes heavy with the burden of having ruined not only his, but so many other, young lives in the process — if only for a moment before the faux smile returned, before she laughed it all away and looked in the direction of the record player instead of at him. lowering her voice to a mere whisper, and knowing that they’re were, in fact, alone in the dining coach, caroline tipped her head back to let him see the tears that had gathered inside her eyes.}

_{❝ in all the years that we’ve known each other, hector, have i ever lied to you? ❞ to others, perhaps, she was far from being a good person —- but not to them, her family. ❝ but if i asked too much of you, of all of you, then i truly am sorry for that. ❞}

(Source: widowsmisery, via starsorted-deactivated20180222)