Page 26 of My Lovely Tragedy
“Not songs.” His tone leaves no room for comment, but if there’s one thing about me, it’s that I’m going to make a comment.
“Then what are you writing?”
If Tobias is affronted by my lack of respect for privacy, he doesn’t show it. “That’s personal, is it not?”
I shrug, feeling my shoulders slide against the soft material of the couch arm. “Not between us, no.”
“Not between us?”
I huff out a breath of exasperation and fall back into a more comfortable position, tugging the blanket lying across the back of the couch into my lap. I finger the slightly frayed edges as I say, “You’ve gotta stop fucking parroting me, dude. It’s aggravating. If you want me to explain myself, then say that. But your seemingly innocuous pushing is getting on my nerves.”
Tobias’s eyebrows are the most expressive part of his entire body, and even then, it’s still such a small gesture. He’s scarily controlled when it comes to expressing himself, and for some reason I can’t explain, it makes me want to ruffle his fucking feathers, if only to feel the silky soft texture before I get bit.
It’d be worth it at any rate.
“I apologize,” he answers, sounding sincere. “I didn’t realize that is how you were interpreting my prompts, but yes, I simply want you to explain yourself.”
“Why?” I tug on a thread, unraveling it. Tobias’s eyes follow the string.Am I being rude? Eh, probably.
“Hmm.” A pause. “Because more often than not, words spoken at face value are more than they seem. I desire more.”
“You speak with hidden meanings,” I blurt with my revelation. I didn’t mean to say the thought out loud, but Tobias’s unhidden smirk tells me he caught it.
He nods, that simper still in place, carving his dimples deeper. “I do.”
“Because they mean more than they seem.” I use his own words as a way of explanation. He nods again, face splitting wider, eyes still following the path of the unraveled thread.
“Yes, precisely.”
“This is giving me a headache,” I mutter, digging my index finger into my temple. Tobias rises to his feet and strides across the room in three seconds flat. His mouth is downturned, all amusement gone in a flash as he bends over me, lips curled inward as he grips my chin and tilts my head back.
My breath hitches in my throat as Tobias rotates my head from side to side, burnt crimson eyes locked onto mine, seeing… but vacant. Like he’s purposely dulling the very life within.
It’s… haunting. And sickening.
My gut coils with apprehension, skin singed where our flesh is connected.
My hair scrapes across the couch with the movement, probably knotting it even more than it already is. I need a haircut, but I couldn’t be bothered.
Breath, warm and fast, puffs across my own mouth, tasting of black honey. I revel in the strange flavor on my tongue, jaw slack, body melted into the cushions.
“Are you okay?” he asks after a moment with wary eyes and a deep, prominent crease in the center of his forehead. I track every new scrap ofhim,confused. Elated?
“Yeah.” I clear my throat at the crack. “Yeah, it’s just a headache.” His eyes dart between mine again, thumb pressed tightly at the center of my chin for a moment longer before he lets me go and stands up so abruptly, my head is left spinning in the vortex.
He towers over me, all gangly legs and arms as he nods his concession. “I’ll get you some aspirin.” And then, he’s turning on his heels and disappearing down the hall. I watch him walk away—because what else would I do?
The shadows swallow his frame before the light in the bathroom bathes him into view once more. His expression is startling. Rugged and haunted, a mismatched piece on the perfectly crafted puzzle.
And then, he’s gone again, and I’m left staring over space and down a vacant hall.
Silence fills the cabin. The high ceilings and wide-open rooms cause my heartbeat to echo, reverberating back to me. And I can’t even pretend I can’t feel how fast it’s hammering.
At least one hundred and ten beats per minute if I had to guess from the pressure in my throat. And I’m fucking choking on it.
* * *
Tryingto sleep is a fucking joke. The tension permeating the cabin is suffocating—or maybe it’s Tobias’ssmellthat is.
