The house stays still. I finally sit up, drawing my knees up again and resting my chin on them, staring at the door until my eyes ache. I squeeze my arms tighter, instinctively and desperately, as if making myself smaller might undo what just happened.
A knock lands sharp and fast, cutting through the quiet like something breaking. I hold my breath, unable to rise and wondering if it's even a knock. The house has made noises before. Pipes. Wind. Lies that turned into nothing.
Please be Red.
Another knock follows, harder this time.
"Blue! I'm coming in, so I hope you're both decent!" Demi's voice chirps as she pushes the door open and my breath catches so hard, it stings my lungs.
Cold air rushes in, carrying Demi with it. She stops short just inside the entry, her eyes sweeping the room until they land on me.
Her smile falls, and her jaw tightens. She drops her bag to the floor. "Oh my God."
I press my forehead to my knees, and the raw, uncontrolled howl that breaks out of me resembles a wounded animal.
She crosses the room in long strides and drops down in front of me. A blanket appears around my shoulders, thick and warm, wrapping tight before I can flinch away.
She keeps her voice firm, but gentle. "Hey. Look at me."
I shake my head, hard, and squeeze my eyes shut. Another round of panic hits me, seizing my heart and lungs. Sweat breaks out on my skin while a new set of cold tremors attacks me.
"Blue," she orders, her voice stronger, "open your eyes."
I can't. I cry harder.
She slides her arms around me and holds me tight. "Shh. It's okay."
"It's not," I sob.
Her hands grip my shoulders through the blanket like she's anchoring me to the floor. She holds my wet cheek to her chest. "Try to breathe." She mimics deep breaths.
It reminds me of Red and makes me cry harder.
"Oh, Blue!" she sympathizes.
A long time passes before I calm enough to look at her.
She pins her brown-green, worried eyes on mine. "What happened?"
The question hits hard. I somehow get out, "He left me."
Demi's expression sharpens. She glances once toward the kitchen, her eyes flicking to the counter, then back to me. She asks, "Did he hurt you?"
I shake my head too fast and get dizzy. The room tilts.
"Easy," she offers, and tightens her grip, keeping me upright.
"He said he loved me." My chest caves inward again, and my breath breaks.
Demi pulls me forward without warning, my face pressing into her shoulder. Her arm locks around my back, holding me there while my body shakes against hers.
I cry into her shirt, loud and messy, my hands fisting in the blanket as new wounded sounds rip out of me.
She stays still, her palm sliding up and down my spine in slow, steady strokes. She coos, "I've got you. I'm here."
I curl into her like gravity has shifted. The sobs come in waves, each one stealing more air, my lungs burning as I drag breath back in through my nose.
She shifts slightly, instructing, "Stay with me. Breathe."
