GRACE

“Here, let me help you.” He bent to pick the gown.

“No, it is fine. It is not...”

But he had already picked it up. He stretched it towards me in my crouched state and I grabbed its tail. He was holding the gown with a little force, as though it was a game of tug of war. So I had to get up and pull harder. Bit by bit, I took the cloth into my hands, the silkiness flowing nicely. During the transfer, my eyes were settled on his fierce ones and I was held down, I was just held down.

When the cloth finally made it into...