Dear Enemy

by Kristen Callihan

But the second she walked back into my life, I became aware of two uncomfortable but undeniable facts: I am lonely as hell, and Delilah Baker feels like home.

“Countless people call me Saint. Only you call me Macon with that bitter honey voice.”

“You always did flow around a kitchen like you were dancing to music only you could hear.”

“Macon,” I say with a voice gone dry. “To me you were the devil.”

mouth. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“I want to be near you all the time. And when I am near you, it isn’t enough; I want more.”

“It can be lonely as fuck. But I’m used to being lonely.”

“I was okay with all of that. And then you came back . . . Delilah, you are the only person alive who truly knows me for me. That used to piss me off. But now? It feels like a lifeline.”

“Delilah,” he says with a dry laugh, “if you think you don’t have power over me, you’re completely deluded. Haven’t you been paying attention? One word from you has the power to bring me to my knees.”

“Spread these thighs, Tot, and show me what I’ve been dreaming about for far too long.”

“Of all the flavors you’ve given me,” he says roughly. “That was my favorite.”

“Oh, fuck,” he rasps. His kiss is hot and demanding, almost desperate, as if he can’t get enough. “What you do to me . . . you have no idea, do you? How you make me feel.”

“Loving you was inevitable. You got under my skin at age eleven and never left.”

“I’m going to love you, Macon Saint. So long and so hard you’re not going to remember what it feels like to be without love.”

“I don’t know a lot about love other than what I feel for you. I might make mistakes, but I know this much—you are utterly precious to me. I’ll honor you every damn day of my life, if you let me.”

“And what’s between us, Delilah? It’s forever.”