CRACKED

SIX HEARTBEATS LATER

Him.

Nothing has ever tasted as good as her lips.The thought repeats in my head on loop as I trail my hands up and down her spine. She remains stoic, unmovable, and indifferent as I continue to kiss her, giving me no response except that of stunned stillness. I know as soon as the overwhelming confusion passes she’ll kill me, but I’m almost glad.

Scratch that. I am glad.

To taste her one more time before I die is more than I could’ve asked for.

…

Her.

I can’t move. I can’t think. I can’t even breathe. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…

And so I stand here like a statue, firm and unmoving as his hands entwine themselves into my hair. Stop, I want to say. Death and Destruction, my twin guiding demons, shriek at me. How could I have let this happen? Daniel is supposed to be predictable, set in the stone of his ways. He isn’t supposed to be able to surprise me. Me.

This wasn’t supposed to happen, I want to scream. But I can’t. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…

And so I remain a statue, stoic, firm, unmoving.

…

Him.

I count the seconds in my head. One, two, four, twelve…

Why hasn’t she killed me yet? Why hasn’t she even responded? I’m starting to worry about her current mental state when I hear something snap to my left. I don’t think about it at first, assuming it’s just a squirrel. Then, in the hazy corner of my brain that’s still grounded in reality, I hear a smoky voice say, Well, isn’t this a beautiful moment?

And suddenly I’m seized, muscles jumping on their own accord, pinned forcibly to the tree trunk and unable to move.