Twenty-Six:
Ransom Tanager
I woke up wrapped around Piper. In my bed. I had dreamed about this moment so many times, that I very nearly pinched myself. Because I didn’t know how I’d managed to get so lucky. I wanted her. I needed her. I kissed the shoulder of her pale skin, and she stirred a little in her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me. A smile was on her face.
“Hello,” she said.
“Hello,” I said. I brushed back a strand of red hair.
We lay there in silence, staring at each other. She reached out and traced the tattoo on my arm. It was a small, simple gesture and it made me shiver.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” I said, “just not used to you touching me like that. Or at all.”
She squinted. “We’ve kissed before
