Between Hello and Goodbye

by Emma Scott

“Four days,” she said, “and then I’ll reevaluate my prospects. And I’m not going to sleep with you, firefighter.” “I don’t expect you to,” I said and couldn’t help but grin, “but let’s leave that door open.” “Closed,” she corrected with a sly smile. “But I’ll leave it unlocked.”

I struggled to get the cap off the tea, and he was still watching me, a strange expression on his face. “What?” “Nothing.” Wordlessly, he reached over, took the tea from me, popped the cap, and handed it back.

Small things

Her smile dimmed for the first time all day, and after a short silence, she got to her feet and reached for the crutches. “Where are you going?” I half-rose out of my chair. “I’m running away, don’t try to stop me.” She cocked a hip. “I’m going to use the restroom, if it’s all right with you.” I sat back down. “Oh. Sure.”

I’m actually reading it. Worse, I’m enjoying it.” “Worse?” “I’m a Twitter kind of gal,” she said. “I usually take my words in short, digestible paragraphs, but I’m discovering I have an attention span when I’m not on my phone twenty-four-seven.

So real

“You’re very commanding.” Jesus. “And you’ve got a mouth on you,” I said, my voice low, my eyes on her lips. “Don’t I, though,” she purred. I coughed. “Friends, remember? This is hard enough.” “Is it hard?” “Dammit, woman,”

“I’m sorry,” Faith said, not looking a bit sorry. “I’ll behave. I’m just in a good mood now that I’m on the mend. But to be fair, you don’t make it easy for me, sitting there, looking like you do.”

“Are we in trouble, firefighter?” I understood her meaning. Because I could read her, and she could read me, and neither one of us wanted to do much else besides figure each other out. “Not yet,” I said quietly. “But we’re getting there.”

“But I can’t help myself around you. I know, rationally, we’re different people. There’s a literal ocean between us, and yet…” He reached across the table to take my hand. “I don’t see how this can go anywhere, but the last fucking thing I want to think about is saying goodbye.”

How she smiled at me. I could get used to it. All of it. Waking up with her in my bed, wearing my shirt, taking her to the canyons or the beach or literally any goddamn place she wanted. Men liked to think they conquered women. What a crock. We were the weaker sex, helpless in the face of our lust. Brought down by a look, a whiff of perfume, the hint of a collarbone on a graceful neck…

“God, Faith. How can I laugh right now? How can I be so crazy in love with you when my heart feels like it’s been trampled a thousand times?” “Because we have an infinite supply.” I reached out and touched his cheek. “Your heart is safe with me. I’ll take good care of it. I promise.”