Page 126 of Collided

“I need to go home.”

“It’s not eight yet.” I gesture to the screen in the front.

“It’s better if I leave now.”

“Or not.”

I draw her back to my chest, surprising the both of us. Then she lies her head on my chest and looks up at me.

“Only for ten more minutes.”

I like the sound of it a lot.

She snuggles into the blanket. The temperature isn’t cold, but it is for her. The AC is blasting air through all its vents.

I lean over to turn the dial down, but she puts her hand over my arm. I pause.

“You don’t need to do that. It’s okay.”

“You look cold.”

She raises the ends of my blanket to her chin. “Your blanket is quite warm,andit smells like you.”

I frown. “Is it a good thing or a bad thing?”

She smiles. “Definitely a good thing. You always smell good.”

“Good?” I smirk.

She blushes and it’s all I need to know.

I move back and relax next to her.

I face her and find her staring at my neck. “What?”

She reaches up and touches me. “You’re always wearing this silver chain.”

“My sister gave it to me.”

Silence extends between us, despite the music and hum of the engine in the background. The world quietens as if to share a moment of silence for the death of the person I loved so dearly.

“I’m sorry about her.”

“You already said that to me.”

“I know,” she whispers. “I can’t imagine how it must feel to lose a sibling.”

It takes me a whole fucking minute to get the words out. “It feels like the end of the world.”

I hear her suck in breath.

After a minute she asks, “What is her name?”

I almost smile. She usedisnotwas. It’s a small detail, but I notice it and it makes me feel better—she knew how much it would mean to me.

“Emery,” I say, feeling like I’m sharing a piece of myself with her.

“That’s a beautiful name.”

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