Hearing Red

by Nicole Maser

Silence fell between them again, and Maddie waited patiently for her to speak. She realized then that she could probably wait forever if it meant hearing her voice.

Watching Maddie was like watching the sun rise on her early morning walks through the woods, soothing her in the exact same way.

“You—you wanted me to hate you as much as you hated yourself?”

“You want me,” she breathed, the words twisting like an insult. “And you can’t handle it.”

Maddie tilted her head up and kissed her neck, a small smile tugging on her lips. “Don’t worry. If they do, I’ll save you.”

Slowly, she lifted her blood-soaked hand to cup the side of Maddie’s face. Then she leaned into her, placing a soft kiss against her cheek. And as she did it, she knew then that she could’ve done it every single day for the rest of time, and lived a happy life.

And maybe this was her happy ending.

And the last thing she heard was Maddie’s muffled, broken voice as it begged, “Please don’t leave.”