Luke was angry. And understandably so–Elmira was late again. She sat hurriedly at the table, wary of Luke’s tired expression and deafening silence.

Elmira put on a dazzling smile. “Hi, honey! Sorry for being late, there was traffic and–no? Not gonna go for it? Okay.” Elmira dropped the smile and sighed, putting her head in her hands. “I know saying it doesn’t help, but I really am sorry.”

“I know,” he said stiffly.

Elmira saw a plate in front of him with the remains of pasta on it. “You ate already,” she pointed out.

“I was waiting for an hour. I called you six times and sent you several messages.”

Elmira looked down and played with her hands in her lap. “I never received them.”

The truth was, she had gotten his texts, but she had been in the middle of a particularly nasty scuffle with a man who looked like a pirate and was three times her size, so that kind of took priority–especially since said pirate-man had been trying to blow up a hospital.

“Right. Just like you didn’t get any of my texts all those other times you were late. Didn’t it occur to you to you at least send me a text? Or were you never taught common curtesy?”

She looked up at him, surprised. He had always been so patient with her, which was one of the things she loved about him. She hadn’t seen him this upset before, and it worried her. “Luke, I–“

“You promised, Elmira. You said you wouldn’t be late anymore.” Luke shook his head. “How can I trust you if you can’t keep a simple promise?”

“I can. I will. Or at least, I’ll text you in advance next time.” Elmira knew how weak it sounded.

Luke let out a bitter chuckle. “You know what? I’m more disappointed in myself for actually believing you. I’ve been fooling myself because I’m in love with you–” he froze.

Elmira’s breath hitched. “You–you love me?”

Luke sighed. “I do, Elmira. Unfortunately, I do.”

Under different circumstances, Elmira would’ve jumped up and kissed him. Because despite not having told him the truth about her, she loved him, too. She loved everything about him, the way his laughter and crying sounded the same, and the way he made toast for her in the morning that was a little burnt. She loved the way he danced like a crazy person and she loved his terrible puns. But instead of telling him all of this, she simply blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Luke gave a small, rueful smile. “I’m sorry, too.”

Elmira furrowed her brows. “Why?”

Luke studied her like she was something delicate that could explode at any moment. Elmira supposed she actually could–not that Luke knew that.

“I think we should take a break,” Luke said.

Elmira’s brief happiness deflated, and her heart clenched. “Take a break? As in…break up?”

Luke nodded, not able to meet her eyes.

“I don’t understand.” But the truth was, Elmira did understand. She had taken his patience for granted. He had treated her with nothing but kindness and generosity, and she had given him empty promises in return.

“I’ve given you so many chances, Elmira. I can’t be with someone who won’t put in the same effort I do. And on top of that, I can never tell if you’re lying to me or not, one of the things I value most in a relationship is truthfulness.”

Elmira had fought someone once who called himself Truth Bearer. Elmira had laughed at the name, and then he almost drowned her in an ocean of her own lies. She wasn’t laughing after that.

“Truth,” Elmira said slowly, starting to get a crazy idea. “What if I told you the truth?” she said. “The real, honest truth.”

“That would be a start,” Luke said.

“Okay.” Elmira took a deep breath. This could be either the worst or best decision she’d ever made. “I’ll tell you the reason why I’m late to everything, why I disappear for hours at a time and why I hardly ever answer my phone…” Here it went. “It’s because I’m Pyro.”

Luke stared at her, trying to gage if she was joking or not. “You’re…Pyro. The superhero,” he said skeptically.

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘superhero’, but yeah. That’s me…” she punched a fist weakly in the air. “Fighting bad guys…saving the day…yay…um, are you going to say something or continue to stare at me like I just told you I ate your mom?”

Luke blinked a few times. “I just–how on earth are you Pyro?” His voice was rising like it usually did whenever he got nervous or shocked.

“Hey, keep it down! There’s a good reason why in all the movies, superheroes don’t reveal their identities, and I follow that same rule. That’s why didn’t tell you, even though I’ve wanted to for so long.”

“Wait. So you’re not just pulling my leg? You’re actually telling me the truth?”

“For once, I actually am.” At Luke’s still-dumbfounded expression, she rolled her eyes. “Do you need proof?”

“I’d certainly like some, yes.”

“Fine.” Elmira looked around the restaurant to make sure no one was paying attention, then used her fire powers to snuff the candle’s flame, then lit it up again, letting the flame grow larger for a few seconds, then let it die down to its original size. Luke stared at the candle, then at Elmira, then back at the candle.

“Is that enough proof for you?” she asked him.

“Yes,” he said, still staring at the candle.

“I have one more truth to give you, Luke.”

“What is it?” he asked warily.

Elmira took a deep breath. “I love you.”

At that, Luke’s apprehension melted away, and he grinned.

Elmira sighed in relief. She’d definitely made the right decision.