Page 19 of A Very No Strings Halloween
Donna twitches and then inhales, slowly rolling off me.
I’m able to breathe again. I’m able to move my fingers. “Seriously, what is this place?” I mumble when I finally remember how to talk.
Donna clears her throat. “I inherited it. I mean, it was left to me. By a patient of mine who passed away a few months ago.”
“So you actually own this house?”
“Yup.”
“Oh. Does that mean you’re gonna move here?” As much as I felt some kind of connection to this place when I drove up, I hate the thought of Donna not being my neighbor anymore.
She sighs. “I don’t know. Not any time soon.” She tries to sit up but plops back down. “So that was good, huh?”
“Yeah.” I chuckle. “Pretty good. Bathroom?”
Donna points to an open door next to the closet. I kiss her on the forehead and climb off the bed to clean myself up. The door to the en suite bathroom is already open. It’s huge and in better shape than it has any right to be. I’m starting to see the house a little differently now that I know it’s hers. It’s somewhere between a playground,a project, and a threat.
“So. Big night last night?” Donna asks from the other room.
“Always.” I pop my head out of the bathroom and give her an eyebrow waggle.
She walks over to me, wearing only her T-shirt and panties. Her hair’s so chaotic, and she literally can’t walk straight.
I’m very proud.
“Did you have a hot date?” She leans against the door frame, sounding pretty casual, as if it’s normal for us to be chatting about this kind of thing, which it isn’t—but there’s something strange in her voice.
“Nah, not like that. You know I don’t date.”
“Oh yeah, of course, I was joking.” Great actress, terrible liar.
“Although I do need a date pretty soon. I mean, first there’s my granny’s birthday party and then there’s a PR thing for work.”
“Oh yeah?” She doesn’t ask what work is for me, but I’m pretty sure she still has no idea.
“Yeah. I realized I don’t know how normal people do it. How do you just ask a girl to a thing like that? Like, when you’re both sober? Doyouknow how to date?”
Donna laughs. A beautiful, joyful sound. “Of course I know how. For menotdatingis a choice.”
“I thought it was for me too, but now I’m seeing it’s my only option at the moment.”Why don’t youcome with me?is on the tip of my tongue. I almost say it. After all, I’m the guy who says whatever’s on his mind.
But I don’t.
Because if I even ask her out as a joke she could end this.
I turn on the faucet. Nothing happens at first, which shouldn’t surprise me. Water to the house might not even be on. Then the pipes behind the wall start to rattle. NotI’m trying to get going after some yearskind of rattle but anI’m angry you’re trying to do thisrattle. There’s a whine. No, a moan. That’s the only way I can describe it. A moan coming from behind the wall.
“Whoa,” I mutter. “Have you used the water here before?”
Donna shakes her head. “Not up here.”
All of sudden, liquid starts pouring from the faucet.
But it’s not clear. I don’t even think it’s water.
It’s a deep, purplish red. Holy shit.
It’s blood.
