TLWM: The Hate Experience

\XXIX/ Sitting In A Tree

     Under the lava's red light and amid music I never heard before, I watched Letty dream. I was lying on my side, hands underneath my cheek and she faced me the same, oblivious of the voyeur across from her.

You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry

Starting at her temple, my left hand caressed down her face then curved down the path of her jawline. Her right brow twitched, and so did the corner of my mouth at the sight, at my pretty mama with the leopard silk scarf on.

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world

Contemplating, I gently thumbed her bottom lip. I wasn't sure if I should wake her when I knew she hadn't been getting her sleep in the last 4 days. Really, ever since we started talking the beginning of the year her entire circadian cycle had been off. She used to tell me she was a light sleeper, but the way I was plucking her lip clearly said she wasn't.

I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep

Let me leave this woman alone.

Closing my eyes with a sigh, I tucked my hand back under my cheek. No alarms were set though I knew I had to leave soon, but I wanted to bathe here for a while. Someone would eventually let themself in the house and come knocking on my door.

After drifting off, I was pulled back up by her touch.

"Prince?"

Opening my eyes, I saw hers were still closed but she had a smile on her face. "Dreaming about me?"

"Mmm—I love you," she said, right before looking at me, and my heart leapt from my chest hearing her say it in real-time, for the first time. "I love you," she exhaled again.

With a Chesire cat smile, I told her, "I love you too."

"So then stay." She scooted closer, taking her head off my pillow burying her face in my neck, wrapping her leg over my waist, holding onto me like she had no intent to ever let go. "Don't leave me."

Landing a kiss on the top of her scarf, I told her I wasn't really going anywhere. "Not for long anyway."

"I know but... Just promise me you won't die?"

I didn't mean to laugh. "What?"

"Don't die out there. Make sure you come back."

Repeating her words in my head, I questioned them in silence until I realized where it possibly came from. "I promise I'll be back." My guess was that she was thinking of her grandmother in the Bahamas who she lost last July. I still didn't know the full story because every time Letty tried bringing it up, she shut down and the conversation quickly moved elsewhere. All I knew about Grandma Jean's passing was that it was unexpected.

Letty sniffled between us.

"Are you crying?"

Her "mm-mm" was weak. And when I tried to get a peek at her, she nearly melted herself into me. "Stop," she said. "I'm fine."

"Talk to me then."

"'Kay... Where have you been all night?"

Shit. That was the last thing I wanted to talk about. "I, umm, was trying to get Ace to bed and fell asleep before he did."