Page 177 of Scoring the Player
What kinda ancient scrawl is this?I bend down and pick up one of the papers and grin at Blue’s handwriting. Angling the paper under the dim light, the letters swim into hazy focus.
Sanguine
Brown skin, gold dust.
Nose ring, gold rust.
Parts protected, parts doomed.
Death will never claim parts of you.
Bloodless skin,brittle bones.
I dream him, him alone.
A slow drip, a slow bind.
Death’ll never claim what’s mine.
I readthe words again and again. They feel humid on my skin.
“I ordered Ethiopian and Sri Lankan and bourbon crème brûlée donuts, but I think I want dim sum.” He leans against the doorframe. “How hungry are you?” He unpeels his gaze from his phone.
“Take a shower with me?” I ask.
“Mm.” He spins and heads into the hallway, typing into his phone. “You eat pork?”
“Any chicken or fish?” I catch up to him, wrapping my arms around his waist.
“Chicken, fish, and beef,” he mutters, pulling us along.
“Shrimp stuffed eggplant?”
“Hell yeah,” he adds.
I think about mac and cheese, and my stomach grumbles. “How long?”
“Adding priority delivery. Should be quick.”
I let go of him to swipe up my duffel.
“I’m gonna grab water. Meet you upstairs? It’s the only room with a bed.”
I nod as I head up. I pass two rooms with boxes before I reach the one at the end with a bed and nightstand.
I strip down before entering the en suite. There’s a stack of fluffy towels and washcloths neatly folded in a cupboard. He isn’t a total caveman.
The water in the large marble shower heats up quickly.
There’s a spoon hanging out of his mouth and a pint of ice cream in his hand when he enters.
I grin. “Hit me.”
“It’s cashew-based.” He scrapes the tip of the spoon against the top, then feeds it to me.
“Mmm.” Mint chocolate.
He feeds us both a few more bites, then sets the ice cream on the counter and undresses.
