Page 22 of Triple Play
“Because that’s when I see it.”
“See what?”
“The fire.”
The word hangs between us. Heavy and final.
She doesn’t ask for details. Doesn’t push.
Just nods like she understands.
“Nightmares?” she asks.
“Every time I close my eyes.”
“That why you don’t sleep?”
“Part of it.”
“What’s the other part?”
“Waiting for the next bad thing to happen.” I lean against the counter. Exhausted suddenly. “It always does. Eventually.”
“That’s a shit way to live.”
“Yeah.”
“You ever try to, I don’t know. Not wait for it?”
“Doesn’t work like that.”
“How do you know if you don’t try?”
I look at her then. Really look. She’s still flushed. Still beautiful. Still so far out of my league it’s laughable.
But she’s also looking at me like I’m not damaged goods.
“You should go to bed,” I say. Quieter this time. Less order, more plea.
“Probably.”
But she doesn’t move.
Neither do I.
“For what it’s worth,” she says. “I’m glad you were already awake. When you, um. Heard.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Would’ve been weird if I woke you up.”
A laugh escapes me. Short. Sharp. “That’swhat would’ve been weird?”
She grins. “Okay, fine. This whole thing is weird.”
“Little bit.”
“We’re not going to talk about it again, right?”
