Klef follows me out of the room. “Ride, c’mon, come back?”copyright protection362PENANAI7qsagfJ1m
I turn to him and smile. “I’m not really that mad, just riling them up. I’m tired of being shipped. It’s weird and makes me feel uncomfortable.”copyright protection362PENANAQIZjwfsjUb
Klef laughs. “Yeah, I can get that. But it’s innocent, so I let them have their fun.”copyright protection362PENANANF83xWvIhM
I sigh. “I’m tired.”copyright protection362PENANAkrFEUMEP1B
“Well, I suppose it is getting to be an acceptable time to fall asleep, and you’ve had quite the day,” Klef reasons, nodding. “Let’s find a room.”copyright protection362PENANAEQ2zHJJ7Q0
“One?” a passerby asks with a smirk.copyright protection362PENANAXMN8P6yt01
Klef blushes at the implication. I sigh. “Yes, one room! Singular! What’s so wrong with two people of the opposite sex sharing a bed?!”copyright protection362PENANAdeEKjFrhGp
They walk away, laughing. “Nothing is private,” I groan.copyright protection362PENANAr8z7eXMW2v
“Yup. C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s find a room.”copyright protection362PENANANUKOuef2eN
We wander around helplessly lost until Flo finds us and leads us to a room with a bed big enough to fit 2, a floor lamp, and an ensuite bathroom, but nothing else. Klef jumps onto the bed, and I close the door and flop down next to him. He pulls me in for a playful hug and I sigh and accept it. I’m just so tired…copyright protection362PENANAiqXwUlkvYW
Fire. It’s all around me. It’s what I’m almost breathing in and what I’m choking on. I hear someone yell, “Shelter! We have to get to shelter!”copyright protection362PENANABW9jnTx4Yd
“Klef!” I scream.copyright protection362PENANAdmMgDss9ug
Coughs erupt 3 feet away from me. I reach out and grab a hand. Klef’s hand. He squeezes it, and we struggle out of the immediate fire. BANG!copyright protection362PENANA8FrlsT4I03
“They’ve got guns!” I exclaim, panicked.copyright protection362PENANAj7bXDUp8PI
No way out this time. I look at Klef and he looks at me. There’s desperation in his eyes, and I have no doubt it’s in mine as well. And in what feels to be our final moments together…we kiss.copyright protection362PENANAqHVNoCSYOs
I bolt upright, as is now habit during my bad dreams. Klef pulls me back down onto the bed with care. “Ride, are you okay?!”copyright protection362PENANA4ZdkaA7UiN
It takes my mind a second to readjust. “No…not really. I think…I think we died.”copyright protection362PENANAODDACm6Fye
Klef’s face turns ashen and his mouth turns into a thin line. He nods. “Had to happen someday, huh?”copyright protection362PENANAKEXS4ydWEQ
I look over him, before kissing him on the lips, as if he is made of glass. He kisses back after a second, before pulling away. “What was that for?” he asks in a whisper.copyright protection362PENANAnW08d8plPy
“Just in case I don’t get to do it again,” I murmur, wrapping myself into his side just in front of his wings.copyright protection362PENANAMnjuxC9D3I
He hugs me close and I sigh, for once feeling relieved at the thought of having a warm body next to me. We both sleep the rest of the night.copyright protection362PENANAPKLO9x0y1v
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