Page 19 of Love, Nemesis
“I’d dye it all,” he said triumphantly.
She forced a quiet laugh, catching his eyes before returning hers to the dark horizon.
The thunder drummed above them.
“It’s not too late, you know,” he said wistfully. “For a life together.”
She looked back at him, smirk fading when she saw the earnest look in his eyes. She faced the horizon.
A spot of rain landed on her hand. She watched it.
He reached a finger to graze the raindrop, and Ana withdrew from him.
“Jasper, I—” She stopped. What could she say that he didn’t already know? They’d broached this topic time and time again. The last time, it had been explosive.
The same old objections didn’t seem to make sense to him anymore. She didn’t know why he kept waiting for her. She of all people wasn’t cut out for a normal life, and with only a year left, it seemed selfish to strengthen her attachments knowing death would soon cut them.
Jasper’s hand fell back by his side.
“I’m sorry,” she said, brief feelings of helplessness soon replaced by anger—anger at Jasper for knocking on that door again.
“I should be apologizing,” he replied with a brief, bitter chuckle.
Hearing his guilt and frustration awoke those feelings in her, and they sat there in mutual suffering for a moment.
“I know. I know. I get it,” Jasper finally said.
She remained still, leaning forward and away from him now.
“Hey.” He nudged her with his knee. “It’s all right. Really. I’m happy to be here. You know that. Look, I was just kidding, all right?”
She looked back at him, searching his face. She accused with her eyes.
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. Look, the black train!”
She turned back around. “No, it’s not.”
“Yeah, just look very closely,” he said, resting his chin on her shoulder.
A light breeze brought the first sprinkling of rain.
She heard him exhale, and she closed her eyes. His hand found hers again, and he squeezed it. “Hey,” he whispered, as if urging them to leave in the storm’s wake.
She didn’t move.
“Jasper,” she said, followed by a pause he honored with his full attention. “I was almost out.”
Thunder boomed.
“I know.”
The drizzle grew into a steady rain.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone else,” she said.
Jasper pulled her close into his chest, and she tilted her head back against his shoulder, feeling the rain on her face as she closed her eyes.
“I know,” he said.
