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She looked at me confused when I placed the keys in her palm and closed her fingers around them.

“The house is yours too,” I said as I watched her understand what that meant. A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. I reached up and caught it with my thumb, gently brushing beneath her eye. “When we leave here,” I added. “I don’t want you wondering where you’re going.”

I placed a soft kiss on her knuckles and smiled. “You’re coming home with me.”

Her lips parted, but no words came.

I gave her hand a small squeeze. “The big one opens the front door, the smaller is the gate, and the last one is for the office.”

A tiny tearful laugh escaped her. “You gave me a key to your office?”

“I gave you a key to my life,” I smiled as her lips trembled. “I want you there when I wake up, I want to know Milo is safe somewhere. I want Blue to ruin my mornings. I want you walking through those doors without ever wondering whether you belong.” I looked into her soft pained eyes. “You do. You’ll always do.”

She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek and whispered, “Would you promise me something?”

“Anything.”

She closed her fingers tighter around the keys. “When we’re old, remind me of this moment.”

“When we’re old?”

She smiled again, but there was something unbearably tender in it. “I want to remember I was happy here first, with you.”

I looked at her for a long moment. “I promise.”

Then she held out her little finger. “Pinky promise?”

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Pinky promise.” I hooked my finger around hers.”Happy?”

She nodded before standing up. “Very.”

I shook my head, smiling as I squeezed her hand. “Come on. We should probably go back before they send someone looking for us.”

I opened the door for her, and we stepped back into the hallway together. The noise from the celebration came back. Before she could start walking back I caught her hand one last time. She looked back at me and I spoke again, “I’m proud of you.” I love her. “More than you’ll ever know.”

Her eyes glistened, but I already let go of her hand. “Now go celebrate.”

She walked in front of me and I kept watching her as I followed her.

Is she killing me? Was it love destroying me from inside my own skin like that?

I think so.

We made our way outside with the others, her family saw us and headed toward us as we kept advancing to the parking lot.

We stopped there. Mireya looked at me and mouthed, “I’ll see you there.”

I smiled and watched her turn to walk toward her car.

Pinky promise.

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Mireya

Play - Sailor Song (First Draft 4.29.24) by Gigi Perez

A bond stronger than blood