Italics- thoughts/ flashbacks/ dreams
Bold- author talking
Underline- narrator talking, known as the main character
Normal- normal story

1972 words

ꨄ❦ꨄ❦ꨄ➪

"Love, what are you reading for this kind of behavior to happen?" She hasn't sat still for longer than 3 seconds in the past hour.

She turns around and stares in my direction till her eyes adjust to the phone light not being in her red face. "Nothin… just a good story I found."

I sat up next to her, "what's it about?"

"Two people falling in love, yeah."

She squeals as I pull her between my legs and wrap my arms around her, she puts her hands over mine. I kiss her shoulder, "I love you." More than words can express.

She turns to me with a giant smile on her face, "I love you too," she turns back with a quiet voice, "I'ma never get used to saying it."

I rub the outer side of her left thigh, farthest from me. "Too bad because I will never stop telling you and you will never stop saying it back."

"That's so sweet. You're so sweet. I don't know what to do now."

"Tell me what you're reading."

I feel the heat rise on her skin, "uhm that isn't so sweet so let not ruin the moment."

"But you have me intrigued, what's not so sweet?"

"Everyone, uhhh, was sharing their trauma and bonding then… they all dropped dead from the evil witch that cursed them. Yep."

Her voice and body language does not match those words. Her voice is higher pitched and she is fidgety, she keeps the palms of her hands away from me and her toes are twitchy.

"You are reading a romance book and they're fucking, aren't they?"

She gasp, "I would do no such thing," she drawls out.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You are a horrible liar."

"Am not, I'm not lying."

"Then why are you sweating?"

"Because I have a sweating disorder and you are wrapped around me like a burrito, mister."

"Or you are lying."

She closes the app, "never ask someone what they're reading."

"You know people who say that? People reading sex scenes."

"Stop ittttt," she squeals, completely flustered and puts a blanket over herself and partially me.

She is so adorable. "Do not get embarrassed, it is completely normal. I'm sure almost everyone has read a scene like that, your friends, family, Pika-"

She throws the blanket over me, "stop making me have all these images in my head you weirdo. You're driving me mad."

I pull it off to the side, "I know."

"Then stop."

"No."

"I'ma beat you."

"In what way?"

She grabs my hand, "look here you weirdo, I was trying to read a story that actually looks interesting for once and you be making it weird as hell."

"We can reenact the interesting story if you want." I air quoted the word interesting with my free hand before going back to rubbing her thigh.

She puts her finger on my bicep, "I'ma murder you if you don't stop."

"Suffocation preferably."

"Why that one? Wouldn't it take too long?"

"Yes but you would enjoy the whole thing."

Her flustered state turns to confusion very quickly, "why would I? I'm not a psychopath."

"You are." For not understanding the joke.

She leans on me and threads her fingers through my hair, "you're the psychopath."

This is better than heaven. Her warmth is better than heaven's, her touch is better than the cloud floor's.

"Possibly but it doesn't seem to bother you."

"You haven't done anything wrong so no part of you bothers me."

My inner child has been touched. I don't know how to react. How do I show her I appreciate those words as much as I appreciate her?

"Really-?"  My voice cracked.

"Of course. You make me feel the safest out of everyone I know. I haven't felt scared of you yet. Even when you freaked out that one time about your back, I was more scared of the damn scythe hurting me than you. I don't think you can do anything wrong, I don't think you are capable of it. You are too amazing."

I can't describe how she makes me feel, all I know is she is the most beautiful being ever.

The temperature rises.

She turns around, wraps her legs around me and her arms around my neck, "what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"There's tears though, I would know."

"There is?"

"Yes, do you have no nerves?"

"Not usually."

"That's weird. It's ok though cuz I'm here."

She wipes away these supposed tears and kisses my nose. She rarely does it first. I kiss her nose and her forehead.

If this is a dream I will give up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay."

"That's good." She leans on my chest, "how many kids do you want in this family you want?"

"At least one."

"What if I wanna adopt and not die for a day or suffer for 9 months?"

"Then we'll adopt."

"What if I don't want kids?"

"I'll show you cute videos and pictures of cute babies, I'll get mothers to tell you their best moments with their kids."

"If it don't work?"

"I'll move on." Heartbroken.

"That would be sad though. I wanna adopt and foster and make a bunch of people happy. I'ma be the family version of Mr Beast."

"Do you have a plan for this?"

"No but that's the point of dreams. There's an ideal goal and you go along, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't."

Oddly insightful.

She goes quiet. She only goes quiet when something is wrong or if she's thinking too much. The room is too empty without her precious voice filling it.

"What are you thinking of my love?" Love calling her that. Love that she lets me call her any of these nicknames, I love her the most.

"Thoughts," she faces me with a savvy smile.

"I would have never thought."

She nods, "I know, right? Most people don't think of thoughts."

I push hair from her face with my knuckles so she doesn't get scratched. I hate these 'nails'.

"What were you actually thinking of? Was it the sex scene?"

Her eyes widen, "no you fruit loop. And I was not reading anything like that."

"If it helps you sleep at night."

She smacks my arm, "listen here, I am not a smut reader. Irina Dahlia Carozza is not a smut reader."

"You have a middle name?"

"Yea, I thought you knew?"

"Nope."

She raises her eyebrows, "well that's surprising," she leans her head back on my chest.

"You have a weird name."

"You can't talk."

"I can't."

I listen to her heartbeat that holds life. A wonderful sound.

She sits up and properly faces me with a nervous expression, "can I… wear your shirt?"

"The one I'm wearing? Or a different one?"

She pinches the fabric, "this one…?"

"Sure, take it off."

She freezes, "what?"

"You know how to take a shirt off, you've done it before. I've seen you do it before."

"Cuz you're a stalker."

"You are too."

"Naw."

"You stare at me when I'm shirtless, is that why you want my shirt?"

She purses her lips, "I didn't think of that, I just wanna wear oversized clothing to bed. I wore a bigger shirt today and I felt pretty and your clothes make me feel pretty and I wanna go to bed pretty."

"You are pretty every night."

"But I don't feel like it. And your clothes hide every ugly thing. If I don't see it then I forget it."

"There is nothing ugly about you."

The way she looks at me tells me I won't change her mind. I will change her mind.

"If you want the shirt you have to take it."

"Why?"

"Because that's how the world works, no one is going to give you anything, you have to take it."

"But it's only a shirt."

"Practice."

"So I could rob a bank? No one's gonna give me the money so I have to take it."

"What? No."

"Awe. So how do I do this?"

"By taking the shirt off? You can't be scared of everything."

"I'm not scared."

"Prove it."

"I've never undressed someone."

"You aren't undressing me but if you want to I don't mind."

She gasps, "I'd never do that."

"Only time will tell."

She looks back down at her hands before grabbing the shirt's edge but let's go instead.

I can't stand this. She can't stay scared of everything. She deserves everything she wants.

I grab her hands, "look at me," she does, "what happened to the brave, confident girl I met 3 months ago? You talked to me when you didn't know who I was or what my intentions were. You rarely second guessed choices and stood by your opinions. You survived an attack before sunrise by yourself for the majority of it. You saw demons and monsters, you stared them in the eyes. You went to different parts of the world with no preparation. You met the devil, you live in hell. You helped me cross souls to the after life, you witnessed lots of Passings. You gave up half your soul to keep your sister alive with no hesitation. You were in a soul trading ritual with no idea of what was going to happen. You have faced so many more things throughout the weeks too. That is so fucking amazing for a young human or any.

I saw confidence leave you once I started ordering food for you and now you are so timid. What happened to the woman that roasted strangers at Walmart and made them insecure? You need to do things for yourself. Why let a shirt scare you?"

Her lip quivers, her eyes watery, "really?"

I lean back to get a better view of my angel, "yes."

"Awe I'ma melt."

"Then no shirt for you."

She folds her hands in front of her mouth, "no I need the shirt. Sit up."

Soon as I do she grabs the edge of the shirt and pulls it up. I grab the back to help her.

"Why'd you help me take your shirt off if you wanted me to do it?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, my back was itchy."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, it's my back, I would know."

"Oh ok," she looks down to the shirt in her hands and a small smile grows on her lips from the way her cheeks move. "Ok now you look away."

"Why?"

She looks at me irritated, "I'm not wearing a bra you weirdo, I'd go to the closet but I don't wanna move cuz I'm comfy, look away."

"If I don't?"

I would never do anything like this to her but she has to be messed with. It is important that I mess with her at least once a day.

"I'll sit here sad till I fall asleep."

If she was guilt tripping it wouldn't work but I can see the sadness in her. If she is acting, she is amazing at it.

"I surrender, you win."

She smiles. I lay down and put a pillow over my face. Should be good enough.

A second later she lays next to me. I take the pillow off my face to put it on hers.

"I can't breathe!!!" Her voice is muffled by the pillow.

"Yes you can."

She hits me with the pillow, "now I can."

I make it trade places with Pikachu, "why would you abuse him like that?"

She becomes confused, "what? How? It's too late for you to be messing with me."

"I'm not messing with you."

She turns over so her back is to me. I pull her closer. My only warmth in these universes, my only comfort. She is everything. I put him under her arm.