Page 91 of Forever Flames: Padraig & Stevie
Her eyes find mine through the amber haze and hold for a single breath.
Neither of us say anything.
Then she looks away.
Damn. I guess she’s someone I used to know now.
Mara’s hand slides into mine.
I wrap my fingers around hers and hold tight, not for comfort. For clarity.
My feelings for Stevie? The longing and ache I thought I could keep at bay?
Nope. It’s alive.
If I ever want a real future, with someone who sees me and chooses me, I can’t do this.
Clarification. Iwon’t.
From this day forward, I’ll never allow myself to be in a room with Stevie Hayes again.
It’s not worth it.
Our past is officially dead.
twenty-six
Stevie
Three Years Later
It’stoobright.
Not from sunlight. Not from warmth.
This light hurts. Fluorescent. Buzzing.
Artificial.
My body’s here. Somewhere. A vague shape which doesn’t belong to me. I can’t feel anything.
Not really.
My mind and body are dull. Muted. Numb.
Something buzzes steadily near my head, layered over an occasional mechanical sigh. A breath. Not mine.
Or is it?
I try to turn toward the sound with no luck. I’m paralyzed. Or dreaming.
Maybe both.
Time is strange. Heavy. Thick. Wet.
A prickle runs across the base of my scalp. Something beeps. Once. Twice.
Then a voice. Low. Indistinct. Sliding through the static.
