I sit up fast as a rocket. “Mack. Oh my god. Mack.”
He’s holding my hair and rubbing my back. His brow is furrowed, and his eyes are drooping just at the corners. I know that look. Sadness. Despair.
“Thank god you’re fucking back,” he says, grabbing me ferociously to his chest, squeezing me so hard I’m worried he’ll break my ribs.
But my pulse leaps as I begin to piece together the events of the night.
“What are you doing here?” I say, but my voice is merely a moan, my elbows pushing against his arms. “Can’t be here. Crazy. The protestors.”
I fist up my hands, hitting them as hard as I can against his chest, although there’s no room, and I can barely feel anything around me.
But he covers me like a blanket, sitting on the bathroom floor. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to come.”
“Didn’t people see you?”
“Yes.” He rocks me back and forth. “I don’t care if they did.”
I lean into him, my breath easing now. They saw him, but he’s here, and he’s alive. “I vomited up all the pills, then?”
“All of them. What the hell were you thinking?”
I sigh. “I was thinking . . . What’s the point of feeling anything at all if I can’t feel it with you?”
He tightens his arms around me. “Come with me. Please. Come with me.”
But I shake my head. “If I had more time. If I could . . . overcome this fear inside myself. It’s too much . . .” I hiccup as I talk. “And you’re in danger, you’re in danger here.”
“No one’s coming for me now. No one’s coming for me now.”
It’s a lie. They are.
He shushes me gently against my hair, rocking again. “I’ll find you again. No matter in what universe. Or in what time. I’ll come back for you. This much I promise.” He brushes my hair from my face. “I found you in this world. I can find you in any other world too. It’s not the end.”
I turn my head to him, wanting to kiss him. Hell, I want to do everything to him. And by the way his eyes narrow in on my lips, it’s clear he wants to kiss me too.
“No! Don’t kiss me, I just threw up!”
He pushes his forehead against mine and lets out a chuckle.
At first, I’m too raw with my emotions to laugh, but then laughter finds me as well. And soon, we’re laughing together, shoulders shaking.
“You’re the one. And no matter where I am, no matter where you are, it’ll always be you.”
I swallow hard and nod.
Then, my head swivels to the side. “Mack. Did you hear that?”
Chapter 32
The unmistakable sound of clomping boots comes from my living room.
Mack and I freeze in place. My eyes go wide.
I don’t dare do so much as breathe too loud.
Because someone is definitely in my apartment.
And . . . odds are good, they’re here for Mack.
We’re in danger.
Before there’s even time to plan, the bathroom door swings open, and towering over us is . . .
“Jason?” I ask. “Jason, what are you doing here? And,” I say, my voice cautious and slow, “why do you have your gun out like that? Jason, put the gun away.”
I inch my body in front of Mack’s, although I don’t know how I can expect to hide a person so much larger than me.
My heart vibrates in my chest.
“Who the fuck is this fucking freak? There’s a whole host of people outside right now that wanna see this guy dead,” Jason says, shaking his gun in Mack’s and my direction. “Including me.”
“Let me explain. It’s not what you think,” I say, slowly exerting pressure on my ankles and knees so that I can try to stand.
The truth is, I actually have no fucking clue how I could explain all this away, but if I can buy some time, maybe I can distract him enough to get Mack out of here.
“Sit the fuck down!” he shouts.
Okay, or maybe not. I put my arms up, stumbling back and falling to the floor.
