Page 77 of Kaine

“And now?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t hate you. Just... just the part of you that didn’t let me leave.”

“That’s all of me, Jade. That part that didn’t want you to go running out into the middle of an unsafe area? That wanted you to just stay here with me? That’s all of me. It’s been me from the very first moment I saw you. And every moment since.”

“I... I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first,” I joke, to lighten the mood. “So, let’s take advantage of it and go to sleep. You must be exhausted.”

“What about you?”

“I’m used to being exhausted. I’ve actually... huh. I’ve actually slept more in those stolen moments with you, than I have since you came barrelling into my life.”

“Hey! I didn’t barrel, you barrelled into mine! I’m sorry I’ve stopped you sleeping. Why do you think that is?”

“I don’t know. I guess that’s just what you do to me... when you’re not around. But when you are, I’m at peace.”

“And if I left now, would you sleep?”

“Probably never again.”

“Then you’d die.”

But not from lack of sleep, I think to myself.

“Yeah, so, maybe take that into consideration,” I suggest to her.

“I-I’m going to stay.”

“Okay.”

“Just until the morning.”

“Okay.”

“Then, I guess we’ll take it from there.”

“Okay.”

“Kaine?”

“Yes?”

“Did you really mean it?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

***

“How long have you knownthat you feel this way?” she asks half an hour later, when it’s clear neither of us are able to fall asleep.

“I don’t know, I just... did, one day.” The first day, comes the traitorous thought.

“What day?”

“You ask a lot of questions, Miss Sinclair and as I recall, you’ve used up your allotted three.”