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Kozo: RUDE AF.

Khaos left the chat.

Zymon: Why am I associated with you people?

Kozo: Cause you love us.

Zymon: Since it’s just the two of us… Want to talk about that pretty Boricua you were seen with recently?

Kozo:

Kozo left the chat.

Zymon: Pussies.

twenty-four

. . .

Love Parasite

“Jellyfish drift thousands of miles without knowing where they’re going. Somehow they still find the ocean they belong in.” — A

“Okay, brain. Let’s get on the same page as this stupid heart before one of you does something humiliating.”

I wait.

My brain offers nothing useful.

“Fine. New plan. We do one nice thing. One. Humanitarian generosity to balance out our murderous personalities.”

I nod, satisfied.

“I help the human rain cloud. He writes his music. Everyone wins.”

He finishes his album. I cleanse whatever strange voodoo he’s done to my heart. Then I leave.

Simple.

At least, that’s the lie I’m telling myself.

Because the truth looks a lot like dark eyes and quiet sadness. Like a man who barely sleeps, fights demons no one else can see, and asked me to stay.

Not for himself, exactly.

For his music.

Somehow, that makes it worse.

People have spent my entire life wanting something from me. My name, my influence, my connections.

Stephen asked for none of it.

He looked at me and asked me to stay.

Not the Ice Princess.

Just Artemis.