We groan in pain.Dirt is kicked up around us, causing us both todescend into acoughing fit.
Gasping,I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” hechokesthrough his cough.“It’s not the first time you’ve tried to kill me.”
My laugh comes out as a wheeze. “I’m so sorry.”
He grunts. “It’s alright, I’ve gotsix more lives left.”
I’m fishing dust from the corners of my eyes when I pause. “Did you just call yourself a pussy?”
“Fuck, I think I did.”
Our laughter grows with every banter. “Isn’t it nine lives?”
“It was,until I met you. This is the third time you’venearly killedme.”
“I’m just trying to get you closer to heaven.”
“Oh,thanks,” he says sarcastically.
“Sure thing.”
The dust settles andhis laughter dies.
“Agh. I’ve got something in my eye.” He blinks hard, then rubs them again.
“Here, let me see.”I army-crawl to him, prop up on one elbow, cup his cheek and lean down. I whip my head to the side so my hairfallsbehind me and out of the way ofmyinspection.
In his gorgeous blue, there’s a tiny speck ofdirton hissclera.
“Oh, yeah, I see it.It’s right there. Can I get it?”
“Please.”
I wipe my hands as best as I can on the fabric inside that hasn’t made contact with dirt and gently fish out thespeck. “Got it.”
Successful, he sighs. Blinking rapidly with watered eyes, he says, “Thanks.”
We lock eyes.
“For someone who’s had three attempts on their life, you’re handling it quite well.”
“I’m not afraid of death.”
A strand of hair keeps falling even as I try to toss it over my shoulder with the rest. “Then what’re you afraid of?”
He’s silent for a moment, then reaches and tucks the piece of hair behind my ear. It stays. The act is so simple, yet I melt all the same.
His eyes drift to my lips.
A magnetic force seems pull us in.
He leans in to kiss me, and I’m about to let him when there’s a creaking sound.
Before I can process the sound of Medein’s door opening, Caleb has already recovered, like we weren’t just about to lose ourselves again. Like nothing ever happened, he’s cold once more.
I need a thermometer to keep up with this guy. It also wouldn’t hurt if everyone wore a bell.
