I don't know. I black out again.

...

...

It felt weird. You returned to the house feeling both dazed and confused. Alexandra was in the living room with Kenji and perked when she heard come through the front door. In its bubbly state, your mind couldn't piece together the words to respond, so you ignored her and B-lined it to your room.

You fell into the sheets and crawled to the pillows. You felt cold yet numb since you simply walked in the winter air without your coat or other equipment to shield you from the season. You coiled, closing your eyes while trying to forgo the fever dream of getting ****.

Was it a dream? Was it all a fake memory? The shiver told you it wasn’t, but the unsureness that came with the shiver denied such a thing happened. You pull the blankets close to you and exhale. The smell of **** was faint as the memory that came back with you. It didn’t happen, you were convinced for a moment, but the blissful expression of Amari staring down at you as she bounced nude nudged your brain. It did happen.

With heavy thoughts, half-cooked and overwhelming, you closed your eyes and exhaled again. The smell was jogging your memory. The memory tiring you. You shut your eyes and draw the blankets closer to you one last time before your tiredness closes your mind. You’re asleep for a few hours, but you awake to darkness. You’re sweaty, hot, and again confused.

“Warren?” A voice calls out for you suddenly. It’s underneath the covers with you, and you jolt in panic. “Warren!” It says again, this time with more urgency. It’s Flora.

“What are you doing in my room?” Your heart is thumping, but it’s easy to relax around her.

She giggles softly, tugging you back into the heated interior you’ve made with her. “You walked into my room, idiot.”

“The others didn’t do anything?”

You felt her hair tickle your nose as she pressed herself against you as she nodded. “They tried, but you wouldn’t wake up. So I told them I’d sleep on the couch. They didn’t seem to care.”

“Oh,” your face felt hot. You weren’t used to Flora being so close to her. “Aren’t you worried we’ll be caught?”

She hums slightly as if she’s deep in thought. “No,” she giggled softly.

“Why?”

“I always feel safe around you,” she sighs, smelling you now. “You smell weird, though. What did you do with Amari?”

“Drank,” you whispered. “But I think she **** me, Flora.”

You felt her tense. Her fingers dug into your skin. “What do you mean?”

Your mind was foggy still, and everything was in pieces from the last 24 hours. It throbbed, oozing memories from the past in the wrong order. Delilah was there, your parents, schoolmates, and dead contracts. “I think she **** and used me.”

“Jesus Christ,” she murmured. “I’m…I— what do— are you OK?”

A second silence met Flora as you failed to chase her question with an immediate answer. Instead, you squeezed her, pulling her in closer to feel her warmth, her presence. You knew very little of Flora, but you felt like she was worth the trouble and the outcomes, even being used by Amari.

“Yeah,” you said, unsure if you were lying or not. “How…what do you think?”

“I think it’s horrible. Everything up to this point isn’t just. How can we forget about all this once we’re free?”

“Once we’re free? I’ll get you back to your family and let you be.”

Flora kicked you. “Don’t say that, Warren. You’re staying with me whether you like it or not when I’m back with my parents.”

You were on pause— the idea seemed nothing more than a pipe dream, but you didn’t want to upset Flora with the growing possibilities that you might, through this situation, be the same person you once were.

The facts were there. You had **** and now been ****; you wouldn’t have done anything of the sort less than a year ago— you weren’t the same Warren as you were when you first arrived at Tiny’s Tavern. Could Flora ground you? Bring you back to someone normal?

“When I first slept with Delilah,” you sighed. “I told her she deserves someone better.”

Flora slowed her breathing, now listening intently. You continued. “She told me I was right for her and that she wanted me. So I left her, and I’ve only worsened since then.”

Flora shuffled, and you cut her off when she tried to say something. “I don’t think things will get any easier the closer we get to Spring, Flora. On the contrary, I think it’s going to get worse… you might not want me there with you when you’re back.”

“Warren, listen… I… I want… you need to be there for me.”

You held her closer. Her throbbing heart pulsed unevenly with yours. Suddenly, the world disappeared, and all that existed were you two, the problems that revolved around your lives.

“You deserve better, Flora. You do.”

Flora kicked you again, this time harder. “I said shut up. I liked you better when you were asleep.”

You smile and loosen your hug.

…

…

When you wake up, the sun lights the room, and you find that nothing around you is yours. You bring your palm to your head and groan. You had a throbbing headache, worse than a hangover, and everything was bright.

Reluctantly, you swing your legs off the bed and blink as tears stream out from your eyes. There’s a powerful ringing in your rings, and your stomach starts to growl.

You think you’re about to vomit for a moment, but a loud burp leaves your boils instead. Then, after a gross aftertaste, you return to a sluggish state of mind. The room isn’t bright. The headache is gone, and your appetite returns after a harsh shiver.

Surprisingly, when you leave Flora’s room— the only person you discover inside the house is only Alexandra, lounging on the couch with an ice pack against her wound.

“Where is everyone?”

She darts her eyes at you and narrows them. “I’m good, thanks for asking. Good morning to you too.”

“Whatever,” you grumble. “I’m fine.”

Alexandra sighs, leaning on the couch. “Amara took Kenji and the princess out for a private meeting.”

“Private meeting?”

“Yeah, believe it or not, you’re not her priority.”

You look at Alexandra and shift your weight. “You got a stick up your ass or something?”

She blinks. “No. Uh, shit. Listen, sorry for the attitude. I didn’t want to be left here for you to watch over me.”

“I’m here to watch over you?” Your voice softens somewhat when you follow up.

A subtle blush comes over Alexandra’s complexion. “Amara wanted you instead of Kenji, but he didn’t want to stay here with me, so they left you instead.”

For a moment, you regard Alexandra and feel a pinch of pity wash over you. “Are you actually fine then?”

A harder blush floods her face. “Of course I am.”

You step closer and slide into the couch where her feet are. “Are you?”

Alexandra’s eyes are uncharacteristically wide as they stare at you. “Well, since you seem to care so much… can you…”