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“Helen,” Lucas whispered, waking her. Her head was in his lap, and his hand was stroking her hair. “I have to go.”
Helen sat up on the couch and nodded, rubbing her forehead and trying to shake off the dream. Lucas narrowed his eyes, studying her.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently. “Was it Everyland again?”
“Always,” she admitted, looking down at her hands.
“Helen! Come upstairs, now,” her father called down impatiently. “It’s time for Lucas to go home.”
Helen and Lucas grinned at each other and stood. They both thought it was adorable when Jerry got overprotective.
“I’ll be right back,” Lucas whispered in her ear, brushing his lips across the sensitive skin on her jaw before pulling quickly away.
“Tease,” Helen whispered as he went to the door.
“Good night, Mr. Hamilton,” Lucas called upstairs as he left.
“Good night, Lucas,” Jerry replied testily.
About an hour later, Helen heard a tap on the window that Mr. Tanis had finally fixed about a week earlier, and she rushed to open it. Lucas soared into her bedroom silently, dusted with snow. Helen started kissing him before he even had a chance to land, guiding his weightless body to her bed and pulling him down over her.
“Hold on a sec,” he said with a warm smile. Lucas held up a wrapped present and gave it to Helen. “I couldn’t wait for Christmas.”
She peeled the wrapper off as quietly as possible, both of them listening for the sound of her dad waking, and found a framed picture of a single white flower. When Helen looked closer, she saw it was actually a dried wildflower, pressed and mounted behind glass.
Tears filled her eyes instantly. It was the only thing from her world that existed in this one—the only souvenir she had of Everyland.
“Thank you,” Helen whispered, clutching the frame to her chest.
Lucas nodded, wiping her tears away. He took the picture out of her hands and placed it on the table next to her bed before standing.
“Where’s your swimsuit?” he asked, rubbing his hands together excitedly.
“W-why?” Helen replied, confused. It was twenty degrees out. And snowing. Helen was immortal, not crazy.
“Because you’re going to need it when we get to Puerto Rico. It’ll still be dark for a few more hours, but we can swim, watch the sunrise, and be back before your dad wakes up.”
Helen jumped off the bed and rushed to her dresser. She pulled out a little red polka-dot bikini and waved it in the air like a flag before grabbing her coat and stuffing it in the pocket.
“Live every day like it’s our last day on Earth together,” she said, beginning their new motto as she jumped out the window.
“For forever if we can get away with it,” Lucas finished, joyfully following her.
