Deep End

by Ali Hazelwood

now that I’m aware of him, I notice him everywhere.

stare into the abyss of those three words—and boy, does the abyss stare back.

“Maybe the elephant’s just…blindfolded?” He nods slowly. “And tied up.” “And doing as it’s told.” He looks like he might find that more appealing. “What a good elephant.”

That’s more stubborn than noble,

Lukas shakes his head. In the movement, the blue of his eyes catches mine. Time slows. Curious, patient, it stops. My breath lodges somewhere in my trachea.

The back of my head could have suffered the same fate, but Lukas’s hand cushioned the impact, one palm wrapped against my nape as the other curls around my jaw.

“Good girl.” I close my eyes. Dissolve into the gratification of knowing that I’ve done something right.

“The only time wasted is time we are apart.”