Yours Truly (Part of Your World, #2)

by Abby Jimenez

Wouldn’t it be amazing to live like that? To not carry that burden around with you. To not feel constantly overwhelmed and overstimulated and second-guess every little thing.

A squirrel in a cowboy hat and chaps riding a turtle. A white mouse dressed in a wizard robe and glasses reading a book, a rabbit with antlers, a ferret in a little bathtub scrubbing his back with a loofa. A dead coyote dressed like Flo from the Progressive commercials. She had the bouffant haircut and red lipstick and everything. It was pretty hilarious, but still.

“I always think that when we’re quiet, we’re agreeing to be harmless to each other. That we’re just sharing the same space and letting each other exist exactly as we are, and neither of us would hurt or upset the other one.”

if you’re with someone who doesn’t speak your language, you’ll spend a lifetime having to translate your soul? Amy never spoke your language. That’s all. Nothing wrong with either of you, just two different people.

“What do you want to talk about?” I asked. “You could ask me one of your weird questions.” “My questions are not weird,” I said, lisping through my stupid retainer. He propped himself up on his elbow. “‘Would you rather drink toilet water or eat dirty kitty litter?’ That’s not weird?” “That was an excellent ice breaker, meant to get to the core of who you are as a person.” “Uh-huh.” His eyes were creased at the corners. “Well, what about your questions? They suck too.” “My questions are great. You just don’t take them seriously.” I gasped. “I have taken every question you’ve asked me seriously.” Major lisp on seriously. He looked amused. “Really? Your near-death experience was when your thighs were rubbing together at Disney World on your twenty-fifth birthday—” “I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE, JACOB.”

She laughed and put her chin on top of my hand on the bed. “You know, they almost didn’t let me in here. They said I had to wait until you were awake and you could ask for me. They only let me in because you had me listed on your intake paperwork as your wife.” I gave her a small, tired smile. “I’m trying to manifest the things I want by speaking them into the universe.” “And you want a wife?” “Only if it’s you.”