Page 7 of Seer

“Not tonight,” he whispers, and I stop short.

“She has to stop,” his hand raised, and I bit my lip.

“She will. When she’s ready.” I sigh and nod.

I start picking up the furniture and placing it where it goes. Kai gets a broom and starts sweeping up broken glass. I bend over and pick up a picture frame, brushing a few chards off so Kai can add to his pile.

“It’s been a year,” I touch the face of our missing lover.

Our Poly family suddenly lost a member last year. We’d all gone to sleep like normal. Kai, Sam, and Phoebe had all climbed into bed together as I left for my shift at Spirits. A few hours later, I got the most devastating call of my life.

Sam wouldn’t wake up.

When I got to the house, the ambulance was already rushing off to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It was weeks before we found out what happened.

Aneurysm.

They were only twenty-eight years old. The doctors called it the silent killer and assured us we couldn’t have done anything to stop it, but Phoebe has been stuck in the anger stage of grief.

With the anniversary coming up, she’s been lashing out more than normal.

“Is she still avoiding the therapist?” I carefully removed the photo from the broken frame and laid it on the coffee table for now.

“No, actually. She went today.” He waves at the current state of the living room and I nod.

“Where is she?” He points at the stairs.

“Wish me luck,” I say over my shoulder.

“There isn’t a God I know that can save you, mate.” I chuckle because Phoebe’s mood swings are legendary.

The fact that she’s a prized Muay Tai fighter isn’t going to help me get my block knocked off if she gets violent with me.

“Knock, knock,” I say as I glance into the open doorway.

“I wish you two wouldn’t talk about me like I can’t fucking hear you.” She’s sitting up in bed with her knees under her chin.

She’s rocking back and forth slowly, with tears falling freely down her cheeks. I take my boots off and climb on the bed with her. I scoop her up and place her on my lap. Thank fuck she comes willingly.

“Baby, we can’t afford you wrecking the house like this.” She sniffles as she snuggles into my chest.

“I miss them.” I nod as I hold her together.

“Sam wouldn’t want you sad like this. They’d be the first to say move the fuck on. You’re not doing their memory any justice.” Her sobs break my heart.

I remember the first time I met them six years ago.

Kai and I had just bought Spirits, and Sam came in looking for a bartending job. Long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and tits are so big I’d have wagered my last dollar. They were fake. Then, next to them was Phoebe. Short, black bob haircut, eyeliner so sharp it could cut a bitch. Wearing combat boots, a wifebeater, and jean shorts.

When they said opposites attract, they weren’t kidding.

Kai and Sam hit it off instantly. Phoebe and I had a love-hate relationship that took time to overcome, but eventually, we became one big happy family. One that shattered when Sam died.

We haven’t been the same since.

“We all do, Baby.” I rub her back until her body finally gives out from the sadness, and her sods turn into light snoring.

“Thank Christ,” I turn to look at Kai in the doorway.

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