“It’s been a long time since I've felt this.” I speak.
“Don’t you meanBina long time?” Eddy laughs, and I do too for the very first time in a very long time.
We say little after that. We don’t need to.
Eddy lies beside me, his head nestled against my chest, our legs a messy tangle of clothes and warmth. His breath is steady. Slower than before. Lighter.
Like it’s trying to unlearn the weight of centuries of shame he had held onto.
I card my fingers through his curls, softer and a darker brunette now that they aren’t made of lint and that ghostly green bin-sheen, and press my lips to the top of his head.
“Thank you,” I breathe.
He hums. “Of course, Oscar.” After a long moment, he speaks again. “You set me free.”
I feel it too. Not just the breaking of curses. But something deeper within me. A released soul. A lifted burden. A reclaimed life. I feel like myself again. My body moves with ease, and it doesn’t feel like I am dragging around this meat sack that had only responded to the scent of decay. I can see the world around me and its beauty once more. And the one beautiful thing I want to keep is Eddy, in my arms, forever.
His hand finds mine. He places his hand on my chest, where my heart thuds for him.
And then… he sighs.
A content, final little sound.
“I think I was always waiting for someone like you,” he says, voice almost too soft to catch.
I want to reply. To tell him,me too. But my eyes are growing heavy. The night, the monstrous form, the connection, it’s all been too much.
I drift.
Holding him closer.
I don’t want this moment to end.
“I love you.” I slur and kiss his forehead.
And I fall asleep with him in my arms. His head rested on my shoulder like it always belonged.
When I next open my eyes, the sun has fully risen and is shining through wisps of clouds. The harsh daylight exposes the alley, making the back alley from last night appear dull. Ordinary.
My memory returns to last night. I finally broke the curse and made love with Eddy. A grin forms on my face as I stretch my arms over my head, eyes still shut, and then I’m suddenly brought back to reality as I feel the chill in the air rush over my body.
I shiver. I blink and look down.
I am naked. I shuffle backwards and realise Eddy isn’t next to me. I look around, and he is nowhere to be found behind the bin. I shuffle on my knees to get a better view, and there he is, floating above the ground near the giant bin.
He’s no longer solid. Not fully. His clothes had returned to his body.
His form shimmers, resembling a distorted reflection on water. Flecks of him peel away, floating off before fading completely from sight.
“Eddy?” I stand up too quickly trying to grab at him, but my hands pass through. “No, no! What is going on!”
He smiles. Just once.
Why is he smiling? The curse had broken; he shouldn’t still be a Bin-Spirit right now! My heart’s shattering into a million pieces, and he issmiling!
“Oscar,” he leans down and places a hand near my cheek. My eyes flood with tears. “Thank you,” his voice is barely a breath. “For seeing me.”
He continues to fade away. I reach out and try again to grab, but it’s like holding onto sand in a hurricane. He drifts out of view and then…
