Page 27 of Rome: The Ballerina

I pressed my teeth together, ready to rip the bandage off at once. There was no other way to ease back into reality.

Head first.

The dive was necessary. Crucial to the progression of my day.

Here goes nothing.

I aligned my fingers with the handle and snatched it back. My body raised from the seat as the door opened. Just as quickly as it lifted, it fell. Hard. His arm wrapped around my elbow, pulling me backward. Pulling me toward him. Pulling me back into the car.

And, then, his lips…

They pressed against mine.

His tongue parted them.

My eyelids fainted.

Fireworks sparked in the darkness.

My lungs howled, begging for the air he was reducing by the millisecond.

My entire body tingled with pricks directly to my skin, scalp, nails, and toes.

My stomach flipped a hundred times. Butterflies formed an alliance, combining their strength to open the gates and allow the entire zoo inside. Buffalos stampeded through the entry point. Bisons. Giselles. Tigers. Lions. Cheetahs. Bears. Jaguars.

My God. My soul cried out for help.

There was none.

There was nothing.

Nothing but him and I.

Then, suddenly, it all ended. The sunlight welcomed me as the wind nearly blew me away. Vulnerable and completely out of my element, I touched the crime scene. My lips hurt so good.

I removed my hand and placed my fingers in front of my eyes. There was no blood.

Unbelievable.

My brows curled toward my forehead. I was perplexed. Nothing was adding up. Not even my position right outside of Sac’s truck. Not even the empty driver’s seat.

Life didn’t give me a fighting chance before he was in front of me, again. In my personal space.His space. The space that was designed especially for him.

“Maybe I fucked up the hundred times before. Maybe I couldn’t get it right. Maybe we couldn’t get it right. I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t give a fuck. I figured, though, I’d better try my damndest this time. To get shit right– first try.”

As the words left his mouth, his hand was in my pocket, retrieving my phone and punching in one number after the other. I struggled to keep up.

With him.

My heart.

My head.

My body.

My breathing.

Everything was too much.

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