Nothing Less Than Everything

by Maggie C. Gates

Forget Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray. Morally gray was quickly becoming my favorite color.

“We all have thorns, Little Bird. You just seem to have turned your thorns into a nest.”

After one orgasm from his talented fingers and another from the baseball bat in his pants, my lady cave expected more. My libido had decided, without consulting my brain, that my vagina was open for business. And very, very desperate.

“The things I want to do to you, beautiful… The things I think about when I’m alone…” “Tell me,” she whispered. I grabbed her wrists, drawing them above her head and shackling them with my hand. “I think about having you tied down on my bed and using my hand as a necklace around your throat while I fuck you.”

“Everything fell apart. And it feels like I’m just now getting back on my feet. I don’t want to risk falling again.” “I’ll catch you,” I promised, drawing her lips to mine. “It’s what I do.”

“Taylor Swift can make anyone feel shit. It’s the music and some clever editing.” I could have bowed at her feet for trying to cover my ass. Coach Tyson nodded in agreement. “Hell yeah she can. The ten-minute version of ‘All Too Well?’” He pressed his fist to his heart. “He should have returned the scarf. That was a dick move.”

“Because I promise to fight for you with nothing less than everything.”

“It’s beautiful, but it’s empty. Only a fool would choose a vacant castle over the place where his heart lies.” He tightened his arms around me. “I’m a lot of things, but a fool isn’t one of them.”

“Love is choosing to be with someone even when no easy route exists. Even when the odds are against you.” He kissed me again. “If this isn’t love, then what is it?”

“You’re a witch.” “That was my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother.” I booped his nose and peeled away from his desk before he retaliated. “But if you’re looking for a stake to burn me at, I think we were close to the same size. I’m okay with hand-me-downs. Just drive to Salem and get hers. I’m pretty sure her name’s still on it.”

Safety limited life.

“Why does no one ever tell you that adulthood is a constant cycle of figuring out a question mark, then being handed another?”

“Everything you’re feeling—fear of the future, doubts, insecurities… Everything in your head that tells you you’re small and insignificant… Every voice that tells you to stay where you are because familiarity is better than failing… Let it go.” I crushed my lips to hers in a punishing kiss, pouring every ounce of my heart into it. “Little birds like you fly through hurricanes and laugh at the wind as it pushes you to new heights.”

“You’re standing on the edge of the world, not hiding behind a goddamn thing. You have the power to stand in front of the universe like this because you know that nothing inside you is weak or insufficient. Look at how majestic you are. Do you feel that? Do you feel how strong you are? You don’t bow to anything, Little Bird. Not to your own mind, and certainly not to fear.”

Rules keep you safe, but sometimes the risk is worth it.

Change is the only constant in life. It feels valiant and noble to fight it until you realize that eventually the dissatisfaction you feel with your current state will hurt far more than the discomfort of change.