Page 103 of 912321

“Birthday girl gets whatever she wants, remember?” She wags her eyebrows at me before continuing, “and it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

I let out a small laugh as I gently push myself back up to rest on my headboard. “Did you enjoy your birthday?” I say softly, moving over to make some room for her as Blue jumps back on my chest. He wants to know too, apparently.

“Yeah, I did.” She crawls in next to me caressing his fur before continuing, “I know it wasn’t really your thing anymore, but thank you for being there for me.”

I turn my head to the side to glance at her, and offer my pinky finger, “I’d do anything for you. To purgatory and back right?”

She smiles at me, lacing her pinky finger through mine. “Always.”

I set our linked fingers down on my lap and close my eyes for a second.

“Are you okay?” She asks, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Yeah, just had a rough night.” I missed the part where Damien thought I was drugged last night. I don’t want to worry her for now.

She pops her head up to glance at me again. “Is that why Mister Caldwell was here this morning?” She says teasingly.

“You’re hallucinating,” I lie with a faint smile.

She tips her head back to laugh before continuing, “could’ve fooled me,” she pauses. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did, he’s totally hot.”

I whack her with the corner of the blanket. “That’s not the case.” I shake my head at her, “He’s taking care of his students, he would’ve done the same if he saw how drunk you were when I left.”

We both laugh as our heads rest on each other, then she turns to look at me again. “You can sleep some more, if you want.” She moves more comfortably on the bed and wraps an arm around me and Blue who fell back asleep already. “We don’t have classes until later.”

I close my eyes, letting the exhaustion win this battle and I hear her whisper again, “Mireya…”

“Yeah?” I feel her hand snake around me and her chin resting on my shoulder.

“I love you,” she tells me and I smile, letting myself feel everything.

“I love you too,” is the last thing I remember saying before succumbing to sleep.

45

Damien

Play - State Lines by Novo Amor

Warmth from cold hands

I haven’t managed to think about anything else since halloween, which is pretty irritating.

A scared mind reaches for whatever feels familiar and I know that much. I reached for Bobby when I started being more tired than angry after my mother left.

There are dozens of perfectly rational explanations for why she called me instead of anyone else, instead of her friends, or even the police. I’ve repeated every single one of them to myself during the first two days. But none of them explain why I keep hearing my name in her voice.

And now, I sit where she usually does, at the very edge of the cliff. My feet hang over the void, and the lighter is between my fingers, opening and closing over and over again.

This morning I folded a little piece of paper and placed it between the pages of her assignment before class. The problem is I still remember the exact moment she found it, the way her eyes moved as she read it and the smile she offered.

Apparently my mind decided it was worth replaying as I’m waiting for her.

The cigarette sits between my lips as I flick open the lighter. The wind immediately tries to take the flame away, forcing me to shield it with my palm. I lean closer, protecting it long enough to light it up. I take the first drag, letting the smoke invade my lungs as my eyes return to the ocean.

I should be thinking about the case, and the possibility that the person responsible for what happened is closer than we realize. Instead, my mind returns to that night.

The cigarette burns, and that’s when I notice the change in the ground beside me. A shadow stretches on it and as I turn my head, I see her holding her sketchbook.