Rosa buried her face in her palms and squeezed her eyes tightly, willing them to produce tears. "I can no longer hold back, Emma. I never wanted you to see me like this but it's too hard for me right now. I'm so sorry!"
She added a trembling effect to her shoulders as if suppressing sobs. It was the performance of a lifetime and so she knew it had to work, she smiled beneath her palms hearing Emma's footsteps approaching then lost the smile when she felt the tug on her sleeves.
"No!" she resisted. "My face is unsightly now. I don't want you to see it like this!"
"Let me, Rose," Emma begged, her voice breaking at the name she used without honorifics for the first time. "Is it all right if I call you Rose? I truly would like it if you don't hold your tears back in front of me. I want to see all of your states if you would let me."
