“I’m not going anywhere,” she says as if she has a direct line to my thoughts. I want to tell her that I know she isn’t, but I can’t. My mouth just won’t form the words. I’ve never had the greatest luck, and I’m afraid that if I say it, I’ll jinx it and she’ll end up leaving again. So, instead, I stay quiet—moving so I can get more comfortable and forcing myself to close my eyes. By the third time it happens, I decide to just stay up all night, but Laiken seems to have a better idea. She sits up and runs her fingers through her hair, then comes closer. I watch as she leans over me,
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