“Sis…this was EXCELLENT!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you…”

“Listen…. The way you ended this? -chef’s kiss ”

“This was EVERYTHING…”

“WOW!! Love, love, love this!  All I can think to say is Thank You! ”

Larke

Me tagging along was like an inexperienced swimmer trying to save someone from drowning. At the end of the day, I would only end up pulling him beneath the ocean’s surface with me.

So, we danced around each other all evening. Whenever he asked whether I was all right, I lied, but faking strength was the last leg I had to stand on. At times, I caught him watching me, but I pretended not to notice. There was no guarantee someone would come, and we might end up having to stay together anyhow, but that notion didn’t break my heart any less.

Usually, we stayed up to read together.

It was married-old-couple behavior, and in the beginning, we barely made it past one chapter before falling asleep. Eventually, however, we found a rhythm. We made it through scene after scene, sitting or lying side by side as each story unfolded. 

Tonight, instead of reading, I went straight to bed. 

Less than an hour later, Dez’s candlelit shadow darkened my doorway, gripping a book in one hand. “You don’t want to read with me tonight?” he asked, soft undertones of disappointment noticeable in his voice. “Tapley, look…don’t be mad. You’re better off with a group of p—”

“Okay. You’re right.” I rolled onto my side, facing away from him. But then, imbued with the spirit of a fist rising in protest, I flopped back over. “No, I take that back. You’re wrong.”

“Tapley—”

“Let me make myself very clear, Dez. If someone shows up here tonight, they can go right on and f*ck themselves. They could promise me the land of milk and honey, promise me a paradise. It-does-not-matter. I’m not leaving you. I don’t trust anyone else within damn near a thousand miles outside of you.”

He stalked across the room, grabbed a chunk of my tank top, and yanked me up until our faces were inches apart.

“That’s my point,” he hissed. “If you don’t leave me now, I’ll never give you another chance. I’ll never let you go. The world is ending, and you’re all I have. That kind of selfishness? It could get you killed or worse, and I can’t do it, Tapley. I can’t see you turned into one of those things. I can’t see you not getting excited about your nineties R&B, or have you look at me and…” His expression softened. “And there’s no life behind your eyes. If that happens, it’s my fault. It’s on me, and I can’t explain just how much that sh*t would hurt me down to my f*cking soul.”