Page 105 of The Cannibal

As she blew the smoke in my face, I took a deep inhale with closed eyes.

“You seem depressed.” Mary slipped the black bodice off her torso, unclasping the matching skirt as she changed.

I took the cigarette back, taking a deep inhale. “I’m distracted.”

“Clearly,” she said, raising a brow, “or you’re too pent up.”

“What does it matter?”

“You can’t keep pretending.” She crossed her arms.

I slouched a little, resting my hands on her hips mindlessly. “I’m working through it.”

“It doesn’t seem healthy. All fantasies degrade with time.” Mary searched my face for a reaction. “If you miss Edith⁠—”

“How are you and Rebecca?” I asked, taking an even deeper pull of the cigarette.

“Don’t change the subject.”

“That’s whose tongue you pretend is mine⁠—”

“I’ll remember these taunts the next time you make me wear a nurse smock,” she said, her lip pulled to a sneer.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked mockingly. “Do I at least get a meal?”

“No.” Her word was final.

I groaned, falling back until my head hit the mattress.

She crawled onto my lap, hands on my chest as she stared down at me.

I tucked my arms behind my head, closing my eyes.

“Rebecca and I are doing just fine, since you asked.”

“But she doesn’t know that?”

“It’s a bit soon.”

“I say this because I’m curious, not to be cruel.” I opened my eyes to see the dark-haired girl looking down at me. Her eyes were so large, the dark blue giving the illusion of an affectionate cat. “How do you think it will go if you admit your affections and she rejects you because the sight of you is painful enough, let alone being intimate with the spitting image of her dead lover?”

“You are saying it to be cruel.” She took the cigarette and put it out on my bare chest.

I hissed, settling once the burn faded. “I’m only thinking about the complications. She may have feelings for you, but moving anywhere past platonic might invite unwanted comparisons.”

“I won’t entertain this conversation because you’re avoiding your own coping,” she pointed out.

“And that’s why we work so well together,” I teased.

“When I thought about it, I didn’t think she’d be your type.”

“I don’t have a preference.”

“Men or women?”

“Neither are disqualifying factors.”

“What about Sidney?”