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“No. I don’t puke.” He reached for my hand and interlocked his fingers with mine. “Why won’t you let me in?”
“I did let you in. You’re lying on my couch.” I lifted his hand and tucked it under the blanket.
He opened his eyes. Though they were glassy, they focused precisely on mine. “You know what I mean, Merr.”
Even while he was intoxicated, his stare drew me in. I ran my fingers through his hair in spite of myself. “Everything is finally good – it’s really good. I don’t want anything to screw that up.”
“Everything is so good because we are together. Don’t you see that?” His eyes slowly began to close.
I rubbed his head until he fell asleep, which did not take long. His lips slightly parted and he was breathing deeply. I lingered a moment, watching him sleep.
Chase was right; everything was better ever since he came into my life. I could feel the barrier I had built long ago start to weaken. The more time I spent with him, the harder he became to resist. Was resisting the right thing to do? I had once thought so. Now, I was unsure. I was certain of one thing, though: one kiss would change everything.
11
The Box
“Help!” I screamed. The flames roared around me. I could barely breathe in the smoke-filled car. My left arm would not move; it felt like something was crushing it. I pulled harder, but it only made the stabbing pain worse. The heat was unbearable. Red liquid was streaming into my eyes, making it harder to see. I was trapped. I tried to call for help again, but no sound came out. I choked on the thick black smoke. I let the realization sink in: I was going to die.
I looked one last time out the window. That’s when I saw it. A dark figure, not too far from my mangled car, was approaching. I squinted through the blood and the smoke, but couldn’t make out who or what the figure was. I could hear my name being called. It sounded so close. I closed my eyes.
“Merritt! You have to wake up!”
I opened my eyes, and Chase was standing over me. I was in my yellow bedroom, drenched in sweat. The sun was shining through the windows onto my bed. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.
“Are you okay?” He sat on the edge of the bed, a troubled look on his face.
I nodded, trying to catch my breath.
“Was it the dream?”
I nodded again. “Was I screaming?”
“I heard a sound coming from your room. When I checked on you, you were crying. I figured you’d want to be woken up.”
“It was so weird. The dream was… it was different this time.”
He raised his eyebrows. “How so?”
“At the end, right before I was supposed to die, I saw something.”
“Something?”
“Or someone. I don’t know. I couldn’t see it clearly. It was a figure, coming towards me.”
“And that never happened in any of your other dreams?”
“No. This was the first time.”
“Maybe all the Halloween decorations from last night stuck in your mind, or something.”
Last night. The party. Chase was drunk. “Oh. How are you feeling?” I let my gaze lower to his bare upper body. “You look better than I thought you would.”
He grinned. “I’m fine. Just drank one too many beers.”
“I’m glad you didn’t blow chunks on my new carpet.”
“I told you, I don’t puke.”
