Page 30 of All Your Tomorrows

“But what if he wakes up?”

“Do you think he’s gonna wake up?” she asked.

“Truthfully?” I thought about him in that bed. The tubes. The machines. “It doesn’t look good.”

“So, I think you already know that whatever’s going on is short-lived.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

She grew silent again.

Why’d I text her? Did I want her to make me feel worse than I already did? Did I want her to be the voice of reason? Or, did I just need someone else to know so that I knew I wasn’t crazy?

“You know,” she finally, “who said you can’t have some fun with him while he’s still here?”

I hadn’t expected her to say that. “But I told you, he was either making a point or regrets doing it in the first place since he’s acting like it didn’t happen.”

“You know how guys are,” she said. “Spirits are no different.”

I laughed. “Get back to work.”

“Love you, girl.”

“I know. Right back at ya.”

After hanging up the phone, I thought about the kiss and Izzy’s take on it. I knew nothing could come from it given the fact that I was human and he was…well not exactly human. But, I also knew how good the kiss made me feel. And how good it felt to be around him. If I went into this knowing it was temporary, knowing I’d rather feel good for a short time than never feel this way at all, what could go wrong?

I eventually opened my car door and stepped out, climbing slowly down the hill to where I could see that Kyler lay back on the grass with his eyes closed by the edge of the river.

“How are you doing?” I asked as I sat down beside him.

He sat up, dragging his fingers through his hair. “I can’t remember anything. I have no recollection of that night. Like nothing.”

“Maybe I can ask Melanie more questions.” I bumped him with my shoulder. “You know how much she likes me.”

“That might not be a terrible idea.”

“No?” I asked, surprised he thought so.

“Maybe you can tell her you can see me.”

I scoffed. “Not sure she wants to hear that. She’s already possessive of you.”

“I can’t even remember dating her.”

“Well, she seemed to think you guys were supposed to get married someday.”

His eyes grew wide. “She said that?”

“She didn’t have to. I could tell by the daggers she was shooting at me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Girls.”

I rolled mine. “Spirits.”

He smirked before staring back out at the river. The sun had begun to set in the distance casting an orange glow upon the early evening.

“I could visit some of your friends,” I began. “They would’ve been at the party too, right?”

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