Page 16 of Pity the Living, Not the Dead

“Liam, my love, I’m in no way offended,” I assured him. “Besides, you will soon be the same hideous ‘evil dead’ creature I am.”

“Smartass.” He laughed.

“Yeah, but I’m your smartass,” I replied. He sighed, sinking deeper into my arms, and eventually dozed off. Reluctantly, I woke him a couple hours later to take him home. One day soon, he would be in my arms forever. My patience would be rewarded then.

We said our goodbyes as I dropped him off. He asked that I call him when I woke so he could fill me in on how the day went and what the next steps would be. I felt for him, I really did. The only difference in this case was he would not be saying goodbye to his family, at least not yet, whereas if he stayed a human, they’d be mourning his death far too soon. That time would come, when he would outlive them and watch over their children’s children as they grew and the next generations came along. With the money I amassed over the centuries, I would see to it that his family was protected and never wanted for anything.

The next night when I called Liam, I was already waiting outside the sawmill. “I’m here.”

A few minutes later, I spotted him coming down the road, but he wasn’t alone. Much to my surprise, that did not stop him from running directly into my arms.

“I’m Olivia, by the way,” a girl the spitting image of Liam, tear-streaked face and all, said to me.

“I’m sorry,” Liam sniffled, pulling back a bit. “This is my sister.”

“No need to apologize, my love,” I said, kissing him. “Olivia.” I extended my hand to her but kept the other protectively wrapped around Liam. “I’m Elijah. It’s nice to finally meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Me too,” she replied. One thing I had learned to perfect over the years was my poker face. I kept it neutral, knowing inside that Liam would be fine.

“Olivia is off tomorrow night, so we’re gonna ask the family to meet at the house at ten. Can you come?” Those big, tear-filled emerald eyes stared up at me, begging me to stay by his side.

“Of course, my love. I will be there for whatever you need.”

“I need to get to work, you two try and enjoy your night,” Olivia told us before hugging Liam. “I love you, Li.”

“Love you too, Liv.”

“Liam, my love, fill me in so we’re on the same page tomorrow night,” I requested once we were on the road headed to my house. I didn’t need to ask Liam where he wanted to go, I already knew. Somewhere alone, just the two of us.

His bottom lip trembled, and I instantly wished to retract my words. “The oncologist said it’s an aggressive tumor, most likely cancer, based upon the bloodwork and what they could see on the MRI. It’s wrapped around my liver and has metastasized to my gallbladder and pancreas. It’s inoperable and chemotherapy would only buy me a fraction of time. Time that would be spent fighting off the side effects of the chemo, so ultimately it would just be unproductive and painful to endure.” He burst into tears as he finished.

I got it. I really did. This was the worst news any human could receive. I thought we had already decided how we were moving forward, though. Had he changed his mind? “Do you still want me to change you?”

“I do,” he said, blowing his nose. “This is still super shitty no matter how you look at it. Olivia is devastated. I hate seeing her hurting like that. She’s gonna take care of gathering the family for us.” He blew out a breath. “What a day that will be. Oh yeah, by the way, this is my boyfriend, Elijah. Did I forget to tell you I’m gay? How about that I’m dying?” He laugh-cried. My heart was fucking breaking for him.

“I’m so sorry, my love.”

“I don’t want to be there without you. Can I stay at your house until tomorrow night?” Liam asked.

“Of course. Have you eaten?” I asked.

“No, my stomach was too upset,” Liam replied.

“I’ll fix you something when we get home.”

Home.

Selfishly, I was dancing inside, knowing I would soon be sharing my space with Liam, making it ours. Now it was nothing more than a house, a safe place for me to rest my head. With Liam there, we’d make a home.

Our home.

Our clothes were strewn across the bedroom floor as we stripped down and tucked in for the night. I turned to face Liam. “My house is now your house. I have nothing to hide, so feel free to roam around if you get up before me. The landscapers come tomorrow, so don’t worry if you see them out in the yard. I will show you how to work the iPad smart home features too. It controls most things wirelessly. I bought groceries for you, so eat whatever you like.” I hoped he wouldn’t think I’d gone overboard when he saw the multiple selections I’d made. Five different kinds of bread may have been a bit too much. Having no idea what he preferred, I had to wing it. My housekeeper must’ve thought I’d lost my mind when I left the list for her.

“Okay.” He yawned. This day had taken more out of him than he realized. Tomorrow would prove to be even more difficult, and I would be right by his side. “G’night,” he said, kissing me as he curled into my body.

“Goodnight, my love.”

When I woke the next night, it was to an empty bed. Startled, I slid into a pair of lounge pants and went in search of Liam. He was on the back patio, sitting on one of the lounges with his feet tucked under him, staring out into the darkness, cup of coffee in hand. “Good evening, my love,” I said, leaning in for a kiss.

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