Page 111 of Dark Room Junkie

“Does that mean it would be okay if I photograph you elsewhere?”

“I think so.”

Alex tackled me from the side, dragging me to the ground and kissing me. “You won’t regret it.”

“I hope not.”

He nibbled on my lips and planted his hand onto my butt. “You’re turning me on so much. Ready for round two?”

I laughed. “I’m fine with us hiding out here until New Year’s.”

“We can. However, my mother won’t take no for an answer. As you know, she has a key. She’ll come, and she’ll cook. And she’ll want to get to know you. You’re part of this family now. So, you’ll just have to tough it out.”

“Can she cook well?”

“Yes, she can. The cookies are from her.”

“Then I guess I’ll tough it out,” I said, wrapping my arms around him and kissing him. “But first, round two.”

32

–––––

Noé

“She had been dead for years already. It was the addiction that kept her body alive. And me in chains. She made me feel like a drowning person without me even realizing it. And then she simply cut the lifeline.” I paused and shrugged, letting out a dismissive snort. “I guess I should be glad I’m still alive. It could have ended differently. But I’m still here.” With another shrug, I signaled to the group that I was done.

“Thank you, Noé. It’s nice of you to share this story with us,” Georg, the social worker, said.

I nodded in sync with everyone else, though internally, I yearned to bolt from the room. Suppressing the impulse, I remained seated, arms tightly crossed, my foot tapping anxiously. Georg’s words became a distant murmur as I focused on steadying my racing heartbeat through controlled breaths.

After the session ended, I stepped out onto the street beside Tom and pulled my scarf up to my chin. Alex gave it to me as a gift a few days after Christmas when he found out I didn’t own one. The way he had presented it always made me smile; he had ambushed me in my sleep, blindfolded me, and had his way with me first. It would have been innocent enough if Luzia hadn’t barged into the room unannounced.

“Hey, you two! How was it?” Mia kissed Tom, then looked at me, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Noé! Wow! You look good!”

“Hey, Mia.”

“What happened to you?”

I didn’t know what she meant, so I turned to Tom for the answer.

“I’d guess ... ten pounds?” Tom said, pulling Mia close.

“Oh.” Now I understood. “Yeah, I gained some weight over Christmas.”

“That’s good,” Mia said. “You had lost too much weight. Now you look healthy again.”

“I heard Alex has a cook?” Tom asked.

“A cleaning lady.”

“So he cooks?”

“Hmm ... Turns out I’m better at cooking than he is.” They both seemed so interested that I almost felt constrained. “You don’t have to come to the opening if you don’t want to.”

“But of course, we’re coming,” Mia said, unfazed. “I want to meet the guy who managed to tame you.”

“Tame me?”

---