“It’s not a big deal,” I grumble, carefully threading my arms through the loops.
We walk past an ethical blood bank I hadn’t noticed before, and I do a double take when I realize it’s for people to sell their blood so vampires have a reliable source of sustenance. I blink, stumbling a step as Ro tugs me along behind him.
Then we’re back on our bikes. I drive extra carefully with Kahlo on my back as I follow Ro’s lead again. He zooms through the city, continuing west as we hit more forest and winding roads. Then he’s slowing, pulling onto a narrow dirt drive in the middle of nowhere.
I look around, curious and feeling lighter than I have in years. The trees are wide and tall, with light dappling through the canopy, and there are dense ferns covering the forest floor along both sides of the trail. It opens into a clearing with a small cottage set in the middle of it.
My mouth falls open, and I follow Ro on autopilot as he parks and shuts off his bike, then swings off it. My movements mirror his, my brain stunned into silence at the image before me.
The house is a rich brown color that matches the trunks of the trees. A few stairs lead up to a wide porch with double doors and windows on either side, dark green shutters framing them.
“Ro?” I say, my voice cracking as I turn to look at him with wide eyes.
His eager expression softens into a look that makes my bruised heart thump with yearning.
“This is ours, Starfire,” he says. His voice is soft, almost tentative.
I search his face, not sure what I’m looking for, and then turn back to the quaint cottage before me. It’s like something straight out of a fairytale, although perhaps in need of a bit of work.
I blink—hard—but it’s still there when my eyes open again. So I reach over and pinch my own arm.
“Ouch.” I grimace, then break into a wide grin as I turn back to Ro.
“It’s ours?” I say. Did this absolute maniac seriously buy us a house? “How?”
Ro nods and bites his lip, then raises one eyebrow. “Yeah, you know how my parents are. They helped me out. They just want us to be happy.” He shrugs, like parents caring and wanting the best for their child isn’t incomprehensible. “Want to check it out?”
The inside is gorgeous. With an A-frame roof, the front door opens up to an airy living space. Two stories of windows look out over the small, overgrown meadow. A tall stone fireplace takes up one wall, and there’s a massive, colorful painting hanging on the other. I look at Ro in question.
“Frida Kahlo,” he says.
My heart skips a beat, and Kahlo meows from my back. I twist around and bend down, unzipping the bag to let them explore our new home.
It’s nearly off the grid, with only electricity and running water, spotty cell service, no internet or cable. Practically nothing to connect us to the rest of society.
I love it.
There are skylights in multiple rooms, and the bedroom has an entire wall of windows. I’ll be able to see the night sky from any angle, and nearly any room. My eyes burn as I blink back tears.
“It’s perfect,” I say, turning to Ro as he envelopes me in his arms.
28
STAR-CHASERS ALWAYS LOSE THEIR…
October, 2025: We’ve been here for nearly three months now, living in the middle of the woods in a cottage where I can always see the stars. And I think… I wonder if I might be okay.
Lor
I’m curled up in an oversized, blue velvet armchair, staring out the window at the rain. Ro convinced me to give therapy a try, and now we both attend weekly. I haven’t decided how I feel about it yet though, and dredged up emotions swirl through me as I try to relax after my last session.
There’s a dried yellow flower, a sparkly stone, and a metal jigger from Tempo sitting on the windowsill. Trinkets that Ro has collected from our time together. We’ve done a lot of work getting this house fixed up, and now it’s the first place that has ever felt like a home to me.
Fat raindrops hit the sprawling fern leaves beneath the trees, and occasionally one will roll down the window in front of me. It’s peaceful, something I never thought I’d experience.
The chair is a second-hand piece Ro ordered last week, and it’s become a constant battle between myself and Kahlo over who gets to use it. Today, Kahlo is happily curled up on the back of the couch behind Ro. He got a bartending job in the city as he explores if and what else he might want to do, but it’s his day off, and we were planning to go star-chasing. Then the rain hit and we decided to wait it out instead.
A decision I never thought I’d be able to make.
