When she mentioned that, a flash of memory struck Rafael so hard, he dropped the chopsticks. His body jerked as he felt the first slice of the knife across his throat, and his hand flew up to make sure that he wasn't being killed again.
Olivia was around the table in an instant, putting her hand on his wrist and squeezing firmly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I should have waited. You said you were having flashbacks."
Rafael's eyes were squeezed shut, and he groped blindly with the hand not pressed against his throat to find Olivia's arm. He grounded himself with her touch, listened to her voice speaking calmly and instinctively reached out with his mind.
She answered the reach with a light caress of her own, sharing calmness and soothing thoughts behind the words. Behind them was the most important thing he heard. _You are not alone, Rafael. Not anymore. We will be in this together._
