Cough Syrup

Chapter 19: Said and Done

I stood in front of Zach, completely and utterly nude. Zach, on the other hand, was fully clothed.

"I love you" He said.

My stomach dropped all over again. "You can't love me, my hair is blue." I blurted out frantically. Zach's hand darted to his own hair, and he smoothed it back slowly.

"So is mine," he said softly. "Please, E?"

I looked up at him, and sure enough, his hair was blue. I don't know how I didn't notice before. Hadn't it always been blue? It certainly felt like it had.

When I looked down I was wearing a black crop top, and a pair of white daisy dukes. Wasn't white my favorite color? These clothes looked familiar. My eyes darted back to Zach, and I tried to ask what he was saying please for, but when I opened my mouth all that came out were the cheery lyrics to Bullet.

Why was I singing? I didn't want to sing.

The song grew louder and louder as my vision darkened, than faded into pitch black, only accompanied by the obnoxious sounds of a song I loved much more outside of this time frame.

It suddenly occurred to me to open my eyes.

The light spilled over my sight, causing me to groan and shrink back, but my hand instinctively reached for my phone on the night stand. It was already morning, I realized. I had slept through the night with Zach. I had been pegged with nightmare after nightmare about love. No, about commitment. Maybe that's what I was afraid of.

I pulled the phone to my face, my head throbbing with aches, and croaked out a halfhearted "Hello..?"

There was silence on the other line. Zach stirred slightly, and wrapped his arms around my waist with a gentle sigh. Than I heard it.

"Eden?"

I knew that scratchy voice. I knew it anywhere. It haunts my nightmares, still, to this day.

"...W-Wess?" I choked.

"Eden, Eden. You're all hats been on my mind lately. I need you back. I haven't stopped thinking about you, not even after years went by. You were the best thing that ever happened to me, and I want you to be the best thing again." He didn't even give me a chance to speak. He had just called me and poured his heart out before I could even tell him I don't ever want to hear from him again.

Zach was sitting up now, infuriated. "E, hang up. Now." He said to me.

"Eden, who's that?" Asked Wess in my ear.

"You know what Wess?" I said choking down all of my fears for good. "That's actually Zach, you know, the one who beat your ass? Yes. Zach. And guess what? He and I slept together last night. We are actually in bed right now, completely naked, and know what else? I'm happy, asshole. I'm happy like you could never make me. So you can stop saying my name like it's your favorite word because in case you forgot we are over. And we have been for a very long time."

"But I need you Eden."

Jesus, this guy couldn't find any other girl to rape?

"You ruined my life Wess! Fuck you! You are the worst-" I exhaled violently, a sound of hatred rising from my lips with my breath. "You know what? Where are you right now?" I asked calmly.

"In my bedroom. Eden, you can come over if you want." I could almost hear him smile.

"Sure, sure. Can you do me a favor first though?" I asked nicely.

"Anything."

"Maybe..before I come over.. Would you go fuck yourself?" I slid my finger across the screen and promptly hung up on him, than slammed my phone back down on the table.

I nestled my way back under the covers and curled against Zach, my legs woven with his. "Are you alright?" He asked, kissing my forehead.

"I am now." I said softly. My body shook in small tremors of fear and adrenaline. "Why? Why would he call? It's like he knows when my life is finally getting good, and he just shows up right when it's looking up to tear it all down." I shook my head, I hadn't felt so small in a while. Even his voice was crushing. Commanding. His every syllable was coated in poison that tricked you into his lies.

"I don't know. But I know that I finally have you. And not even the devil himself can take that away from me now." Zach said, brushing his fingertips up and down along my spine.

Still, I found I couldn't shake the feeling of the haunted gape left by Wess, not even in Zach's arms.