Page 18 of Magic or Madness

“Would you tell me if you did?” I whisper, testing this connection I think we’ve formed.

“Fallon, I’d tell you absolutely anything.” He kisses my forehead gently, and all my doubts about him fly out the window, again.

This is real.

“I don’t know how to walk away from you right now, baby,” I confess, feeling my heart shredding in two.

One piece for him to keep, the other staying put in my chest, missing its other half.

“I’ll see you soon, Bambi.” He pulls me in for one last kiss that could hold me over for a lifetime, but luckily, I only have to wait a few hours until he’s back in my arms.

I know that I’m in for it from my roommates, and I’m prepared to face the firing squad when I walk in the door. Sure enough, both girls are waiting in the kitchen as soon as I turn my key in the lock.

“What the absolute fuck, Fal?” Mick yells, immediately throwing a pillow at me.

“What happened to an hour, tops?” Rae chimes in, and both their jaws drop when they see the state I’m in when I fully walk through the door.

My hair is probably knotted in every direction, on top of the messy bun I was already sporting, my neck aches in various places, and I can only imagine the marks Ozzy left behind.

Obviously, I’m wearing his clothes, a sure sign thatsomethinghappened between us.

“You fucking bitch. You slept with him?” Rae shrieks, sitting on the couch and waiting for the details.

Mick is less enthusiastic, rolling her eyes at me, and clearly pissed off with my choices.

“I did. It was … so damn good, too,” I laugh, and Mick starts to thaw, but only slightly as she stands with her arms crossed.

“Fallon, this is insanity. You just met this guy.”

I shake them off, knowing that would be their exact argument because it’s the same thoughts I’ve had since the moment our eyes met in the diner.

The last few days have spun me around, and twisted up my thoughts, but also, I feel like the universe swallowed me up, and spit me out as a brand new person. I was meant to meet Ozzy, for what has yet to be determined, but I know it’s more than just a hookup. He’s drawn to me, just as much as I am to him,and I’m thoroughly convinced it’s because of a greater purpose, something only the two of us could only ever understand.

“Listen, he’s picking me up tonight and coming to spend the night here. You two can grill him, us, all you want. I already went through the wringer with his friends last night, but for now, let me ride the high he left me with?” I bargain, and they both reluctantly agree, their eyes nearly popping at the hickies I can feel cascading along my skin.

“Do we have to listen to you guys fuck all night?” Rae asks, always the mom of the group, but ready to bring the comedic relief in tense situations.

“Probably, uh, hereallylikes it when I scream,” I giggle, my face burning with heat, and likely turning bright red.

“Fallon!” They scream in unison, but I turn toward the bathroom, eager to wash the remnants of last night off my body.

My friends are all I’ve got, and I appreciate their concern, but I’m not afraid of Ozzy. The only thing that scares me is how fast I could possibly fall in love with him. He won’t hurt me, and after one night together, I trust him withmy life.

OZZY

Since I droppedFallon off I’ve been driving aimlessly, trying to figure out how to navigate the balance between my life, and my newfound relationship with her.

I know what I am, what I’m capable of, and I couldn’t live with myself if she became involved in my criminal activities, or worse, turned into someone like me.

When she asked if I hurt someone, my heart dropped straight into my ass. In the past, I have, and in the future, I won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done just to protect Fallon’s perception of me.

My professional life, and our jobs, come first.

Sometimes, we have to get violent, but I don’t want that side of me to complicate what I’ve started in my personal life.

Something about her has me questioning my moral compass, which I’ve never done before, and I’m ready to do anything I can to protect Fallon from seeing the uglier sides of me.

She’s the light contrasting the darkness inside of me, and the night we spent together was phenomenal, better than I could’ve imagined. I find myself with my eyes glued to the clock, counting down the minutes until I can see her again, and she just left.

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