Page 70 of Strum Me

“Fucking you is much more fun.”

“How romantic,” I tease him.

“I try.”

“Try harder.”

“I’m not going to be ‘harder’-ing anything just quite yet.”

I giggle again, feeling quite lightheaded.

“Hey,” he murmurs. It’s soft, but it vibrates through his torso and against my cheek.

“Yeah?”

“I meant it.”

“What?”

“You’re my muse.” The words have the same effect on me that they had when he whispered them minutes ago.

They make my heart take flight.

“Shut up,” is my appropriate response.

“Yeah, I know. Romantic.”

I lie back down on his chest and wonder why I ever have to leave this place.

***

“Mommy, Mommy,” Ben calls out, and it’s the first thing I hear.

“Oh, fuck!” is the second, and then a loud thud on the floor.

“Wait! Don’t—” I yell, a little too late.

“Mommy! OH!…and Brad! Mommy, why is Uncle Brad sleeping on the floor?”

“Oh, um, he was having a sleepover with Mommy.”

“Oh, did he eat a whole jar of jellybeans too?”

“No. Wait, what?”

“Ahem, knock knock,” I hear Cadence’s voice call out from the hallway.

“Er, yeah, hi.”

“I’ll, um, yeah… hey, Ben? Want to come back over to the other bus and have breakfast?”

“Sure! Can I have some more jellybeans?”

“Um…remember how we said that was a secret?”

“Oh, I forgot!”

“It’s okay…but, yeah, let’s let your Mommy and Uncle Brad finish their sleepover and we’ll come back in a while.”

“Okay! Bye Mommy!” Ben waves goodbye to us and takes Cadence’s hand.

“Thanks, Cadence,” I say, relieved and embarrassed in equal measure.

“No problem. Just consider it a favor,” she chuckles.