“Fucking seriously, you two. Vali, get your ass in the house. What are you doing hiding in the damn bushes like a wild animal?” Dorin marched through the doors without looking back. Lina was still watching me. So were her people. Suspiciously.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to ask permission to enter. Vali hooked her fingers around my sleeve and pulled me along,guiding me right past Lina, who looked like she couldn’t decide what to do.
After a very enthusiastic house tour, we ended up in the kitchen with Dorin and Lina. Lina crossed her arms and leveled a playful warning at me.
“Better have taken mental notes, Cezar. If you steal anything, I’ll cut off your hands.”
“I would let you use my machete.” I moved behind her, crowding her. She paused mid-bite on her sandwich, hands still on the bread. My palms slid slowly up and down her arms, and I rested my chin on the top of her head.
“Seriously, I’m trying to eat here.” Her body pressed back into mine just enough to suggest she wanted me off her.
I needed more.
“I know, I am hungry too.” I pouted.
“What are you, a child? Then make a sandwich. I’m not your mother.”
Her voice wasn’t cruel, but the words hit like a punch. My chest tightened, and I stepped back. Then farther. More. She turned, surprise shimmering across her face. Maybe she thought I was acting childish. I wasn’t. I just couldn’t stop the memories. And most of them hurt.
An awkward silence lingered. Even Vali refrained from talking. I avoided looking at anyone, trying to piece myself back together while plates and utensils clattered around me.
Then a small motion—Lina setting a sandwich in front of me.
Grief was a strange companion—a shape-shifter that hid in the shadows, then lunged when I least expected it. It never went away. It wrapped itself around my being and refused to fucking die. Some days, I wished love stayed within the boundaries of mortality, and my love wasn’t eternal.
Dorin and Vali left the kitchen, discussing a movie. It felt strange to think that we all had lives outside of our survivalroutine—that we, too, enjoyed movies, and well, Lina was a foodie. I had thoughts about that one.
I took a bite of the sandwich, and it tasted like heaven. Maybe because it had been so long since someone did something nice for me—even something as small as making me food. I’d forgotten what that kind of care felt like. And maybe part of me wished I had stayed numb enough to never remember it again.
I will never go back. This is what I want.
Lina sat across from me on the kitchen island. She wasn’t eating much, shifting around in her seat. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
When I looked at her, I could see it—she recognized my pain. She noticed everything. Always quick to catch the things I tried to hide.
The sadness pulling through me wasn’t just mine. It was for her, too. It was overwhelming. Comforting in a way, knowing someone else understood, but I hated that she did. I hated that she ever had to.
“You don’t have to be. It just caught me off guard.” I tried to brush it off and stuffed the rest of my sandwich in my mouth. Secretly, I wanted to steal hers too.
“Yeah… right… Cezar, you’re looking at my sandwich like you looked at my corn dog that day. You better fucking not. Food thief.” She pulled her plate close like it was a priceless artifact. The stern tone excited me. Who was I kidding? I loved every damn part of her.
Game on, Petal. I distracted her with one small gesture, then I grabbed her sandwich, the plate, and bolted. Dorin and Vali were in the living room watching the chaos unfold—me sprinting through the house, Lina in pursuit. Dorin looked beyond done with our shit, and Vali’s laughter rang down the hallway.
“Stop him! He has my fucking sandwich!”
Not fair. Not fair at all. But I wasn’t losing. Half her people came after me, trying to intercept the sandwich like it was ahostage situation. I dodged around them fast, hoping none of them got the bright idea to stab me. With this group, I wouldn’t put it past them.
I burst out into the garden, and for a moment, the beauty of it stopped me. My mom would have loved this place. Hell, she would have loved Lina, too. The thought nearly cost me the win, but I pushed forward, vaulting over one of the smaller bushes.
I yelled, “What are you going to do, Petal?”
“I will get that sandwich no matter what, Cezar.” The conviction in her voice… fuck, it was sexy.
She was chasing me.Herchasingme. I didn’t know how much longer my composure would last. My fucking pants already felt like they were going to rip open.
We stared each other down like we were in an old Western. Lina gasped for air. Damn. I was going to lose. “Give it to me, Cezar, right fucking now.”
“Only if you ask me nicely.” I walked toward her, giggling like an absolute menace. I hadn’t had fun like this in years.
