Page 41 of Slaughtered Firefly
Text bubbles started to form again as I stared at the phone.
Melody: We need to talk ASAP
Along with the texts, there were about a dozen missed calls. I was such a shitty person to Melody. I left her stranded in Europe all for a woman I hadn’t spoken to in nearly eight years. I swiped them away and pulled up a meal delivery app and ordered a burger from the nearest fast-food joint, tipping the driver an extra hundred dollars to get it here within five minutes. I felt bad for leaving Melody out of the loop, because we had something going, and I was just a dick holding onto a love that wouldn’t be true.
My phone started buzzing in my hand, and Melody’s red curls and face flashed across the screen. I stared at the phone, letting it buzz.
“Aren’t you going to take that?” Mia asked impatiently.
“No, it’s nothing important,” I replied, stashing the phone in my suit pocket.
A nurse gently knocked on the door, holding out a tray of soup and, of course the pudding, “Lunch time,” she cheerfully announced and entered.
“If it’s pudding you can shove it up your ass,” Mia’s voice raised as she prepared to throw another item within reach.
The nurse gasped as shock crossed her face. The tray slipped out of her hand. I caught it before it went splattering down. A bundled pair of worn hospital grippy socks smacked the nurse in the face.
“Mia!” I hissed towards her, but I couldn’t hide the laughter that started to leak out. The nurse was unimpressed and stood there with a straight face.
“Thank you Rachel, we will save this for later,” I suppressed a smile as I not so politely slammed the door in the nurse’s face.
I set the tray down on the table next to the door. Tears leaked out of my eyes as my seriousness morphed into laughter at the socks.
Mia laughed so hard she clutched her stomach, her feet now sock-less danced on top of the blanket. I joined her back by the bed, laughing, highly amused by the sock grenade that landed perfectly in the center of the nurse’s face. Mia’s laugh was so genuine, and the smile that crossed her face was that rare, beautiful, sun-shining smile.
The smile that hit me like a freight train when she left. A smile that made me fall in love with her. I remembered the first time she smiled like that from years ago, with stolen moments and memories. Mesmerized by the girl and now captivated by the woman.
“I can’t believe that nurse kept a straight face,” she laughed out, still amused at her bratty behavior, but as she caught sight of my stare, she asked, “What are you staring at?”
My body reacted without hesitation as I leaned into her and captured her parted lips. She tasted just as she always had, a wild, unattainable freedom. I withdrew as someone knocked on the door. She watched longingly as I turned away.
A short guy with an afro that added to his height shoved a bag and drink in my hand as he panted. I looked down at the bag before it dawned on me that this was her food. I pulled a few hundred out of my pocket and gave it to the guy, muttered thanks and slammed the door again.
I turned towards Mia. Her eyes were greedily on the bag. She reached out towards me, but the cuff jerked her arm back, and she frowned.
“Give me that or so help me I will flip my shit, I can smell the bacon from over here,” her stomach growled in agreement and I chuckled.
“What do I get in return?” I questioned, still holding the bag out of reach.
“To live,” she threatened in a calm voice, it was scary and I quickly set the drink and food bag down.
She dove for the bag, ripping it in the process. Some fries went, flying, but she didn’t care as the burger melted into her mouth the most sexual moan escaped her. My cock jutted forward at the sound, having never truly forgotten the time we stole together. I smiled down at her as she continued to stuff her face.
“You know that you might regret eating so fast,” I remarked as I plopped in the chair beside her.
“Mmmph, I don’t care,” she talked around the burger, picking up a fry in the process.
“After you are done with the grease we have to actually discuss the — ” a mustard-filled finger pressed against my lips, cutting off my words.
I frowned as she withdrew it, whipping my mouth with the back of my hand.
My phone buzzed in my pocket again as I pulled it out. Riven State Corrections flashed across the screen, and I swallowed deeply.
In the process of standing up, Mia gripped my arm, holding me to the spot. I looked at her, my face draining of color as I handed her the phone. I sat back down as she let it ring. As soon as the ringing stopped, there was a pause, and it started right back again.
She smirked towards me, letting this call ring, then answered.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You couldn’t answer the first time?” Cole’s rage through the line made me grit my teeth. I never wanted to be his lawyer, but I was in his debt.
