Page 105 of Glitched Play

Not the clock.

Not the servers.

Not the endless list of problems waiting for me tomorrow.

Her.

I don’t know exactly when wanting her became something more dangerous.

Maybe it happened in the kitchen.

Maybe at the gala.

Maybe when she beat me at an arcade game and threw herself into my arms.

Or maybe it happened slowly, one detail at a time, until the system changed before I realized an update was running.

Whatever the answer, I am no longer objective.

Dara was right.

Distance will not fix this.

I glance at Maci one last time before closing my eyes again.

She never wakes.

I probably won’t sleep much either.

Oddly, I don’t mind.

For the first time in years, I am exactly where I want to be.

twenty-one

. . .

Maci

Encrypted Chat Rune

I never knew silence could feel this way.

Dreaming of Witt and me on the beach, an enormous wave thunders down on us and instead of seeing what happens next, I wake up.

For one disoriented second, I don't know what it is. The television has long since gone quiet, the apartment is dark except for the soft glow of the city lights beyond the windows, and I’m nestled comfortably on the couch.

Then I realize what it is or should I say who it is.

Witt.

I lift my head just enough to find him still sitting beside me, his head tipped back against the couch cushion, fast asleep. One arm is stretched along the back of the couch, the blanket we shared still draped over us, and somehow my feet are still resting comfortably in his lap.

My stomach drops.

Oh no.

I carefully glance toward the microwave clock in the kitchen.