“What?” she growled, her dark brown eyes glinting like she would slash my throat if I came any closer. “Don’t look at me like that.”
ButKrystandidn’t break, she exploded like an atomic bomb. And I sensed she was close to blowing.
Mrs.Ritswarbly voice floated down the stairs. “Krystan,wouldyou mind explaining why there are two small children stashed away in the guest room up here?”
Krystan’slet out a dramatic sigh before turning and stomping up the stairs. I got a healthy look atthoselong legs in her booty shorts as she stormed away. I reasoned to myself that I was only human, so ogling wasonlynatural.
The memory that followed,of her long legs wrapped around my waist,didn’t exactly bring on fond memories. The one time we’d made it, we’d been completelyhammered,and it had been the most awkward, cringe-worthy sex of my life. So why did I still watch her asssway so closely?
My heart thudded and arousal wrapped around my cock.
Shaking my head, I thought of the humiliation she would put me through if I even hinted at us getting naked together again. Yep, that killed any trace of a stiffy.
I’d left a tangled blanket on the couch, soI folded it upthen fluffedthecouchpillowsout,so they looked exactly as they had before.Grabbing my hoodie, I threw it on and shoved my hands in the pockets.
I stood there in the living room, not sure what to do with myself. Not that anyone cared what I did.Krystanwas wrapped up in whatever craziness her brain was pumping outtoday, and hergran was nice to me but had her own life. My parentswere...well they had their own life too. The itch to go and get stoned out of my mind crept up on me.
Sometimes I wondered what I was doing here. I was a ghost, roaming from place to place, spying in on things that had nothing to do with me.
It had been a crazy long time since I went and got blazed out of mindjustso I didn’t have to think. Somehow with monsters and evil spirits openly roaming the world now, it seemed wrong to bury my head in a cloud of MaryJane.
Besides, I didn’t want to spendyetanother birthday in that haze.
Little feet quickly padded down the stairs and Sophie appeared in the living room a moment later. She had her backpack on as if she were ready to go on a trip. Her little hands were gripped around the straps at her shoulders.
We stared at each other for a long moment as if we didn’t know what to do with the other person. She was so small, but her eyes seemed to belong to a person much older. She brushed hair away from her face with splayed hands and sighed.
“Are we going to fight monsters today?”
I took a seat on the edge of couch, feeling strange talking ather from so much higherup. “No, no monsters today.”
She looked around the room as if taking it all its details before her eyes lit up and she turned to me. “Would you read to me?”
I pointed at myself, “Me?” I knew there wasn’t anyone else in the room, but there was no way she was talking about me. I didn’t have anything better to do,not even on my birthday. Astab went through my stomachwiththe thought.
Why would she wantmeto read her a book?Could she evenread at herage?
Sophiepulled her backpack off and unzipped it. Immediately a baggie of crushed goldfish andher stuffed bunnytumbled out onto the ground. She rooted around in her bag with some effort before she yanked out a book. Leaving her backpack on the ground, she walked over to me and put the picture book on my lap. Then she hoisted herself up onto the couch next to me with grunts of effort. Then flush against my side, her hands folded in her lap, she looked up at me expectantly.
I knew the look on my face was one of surprise and maybe evenhorror,so I cleared my throat and triedtoassume a neutral expression.Picking upthe book, I couldn’t help but smile when I read the title aloud.“Dragons Love Tacos.”I added, “Who doesn’t like tacos?”
“Weirdos,” Sophie huffed next to me, and I laughed.
“Um, okay,” I said, and opened the picture book and began to read the first page.She leaned over me so she could get a better look at the pictures, so I held the book up to make it easier on her.Sophie smelled like goldfish, crayons, and sunshine.
I had to admit, the book waspretty cool. Itwasdefinitely gettingme in the mood for tacosandmaybe a movie with dragons in it,like one of the Hobbit movies.Maybe this birthday didn’t have to suckafterall.
A squeak brought my attention to the hallway again whereKrystanstood there looking back and forth between Sophie and me like we’d sprouted extra heads.
“What...what are you doing?” she stuttered.
“Reading to Sophie,” I explained though it was apparent what we were doing. Why did she look like she was about to swallow her tongue or die of shock? “You okay?” I asked,genuinelyworried.
“What?”Krystanasked,then blinked asif bringing me into focus suddenly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I wasgoing togo out for a couple hours.” She didn’t move.
“Okay, well,” I looked down at Sophie who was still looking at the illustrations. “I was thinking after this we’d go get some tacos. Do you want us to pick you up some?”
Again,Krystanstared at me as if experiencing afull-onhallucination.
