I pick her up and cradle her tight to my chest, soaking up these last moments of her warm skin against mine. I set her on the bed and pull the quilt over her. She’s curled up on her side, and I kiss her temple, breathing in her addictive scent. When I walk away, a hand reaches out and stops me. And she says one word that has me carving out my heart and handing it to her, bloody and beating: Stay.
