"You can come with me," he suggested.

She frowned. "I can't."

He smiled a lazy smile. His full, luscious lips stretched out at the corners, forming a little indent in his left laughing line. It was like a small dimple, only noticeable if one was close enough to pay attention.

"You can," he insisted. "Think about it."

"But.. But how?" Her expression mirrored her confusion, but all she could think about was how amazing it'd be if she could go with him. Only him and her, in their own little world. Nobody would interrupt them, nobody would come for her. She'd be free.

Free of the monster that lurked within her own mind. Free of the shadow of her past trailing behind. Truly free.

"It's easy. You already know the answer to it." A reflection of her own gaze burned into her, making her breath hitch. It was like she was staring into a mirror. The lateral inversion manifested as their opposite genders, but they were one in the same, after all.

"Your eyes are beautiful," she said instead, steering the topic of conversation away from the one at hand. "They are so mysterious. It's like I can sit all day and count the different shades of green and gold and even a bit of blue. I can't tell."

He chuckled. "They're just like yours, love. Your eyes are just as gorgeous."

"Nobody has ever told me that before," she breathed. "Nobody has ever complimented me before." Emotions bubbled up her throat, ranging from happiness to giddiness to sadness.

"Because people don't notice your beauty," he whispered. His index finger reached out to touch her cheek, running it down towards her neck and leaving a warmth in its wake. "They don't value you. Nobody cares about you here. You should come with me instead, I'll take care of you."

"How can I?" she questioned.

"You know how."

"No, I don't," she said, her voice faltering when his hand cupped her cheek. He leaned in, and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he went past her lips and pressed his mouth to the shell of her ear, making her shudder.

"You have to kill yourself."