“Stawp! You know my ear is ticklish!” She whines, pounding her fist on my shoulder.

  I chuckle and pull her close.

  “You…are a lot warmer to me than you used to be.” She mumbles, as she stops resisting the hug and wraps her arms around my back.

  “I was an eleven year old on the street, of course I was cold. I saw you die in front of me as well, really puts how you treated them in perspective.” I reply as I begin to sway with my eyes closed.

  “Oh? Then we should make o–” I cut her off.

  “Not happening, just enjoy the moment.” I say curtly with an edge of warmth.

  The stars fade and the ocean returns as we hold each other.

  “We really shou–” She starts.

  “Stop pushing it. Kissing isn’t everything you know.” I butt in.

  “You kissed Sute…” She grumbles.

  “I was also impaled on a spike and unable to move.”

  “Excuses.” she remarks.

  “Should I impale you and see if you can get away from my kisses?” I ask rhetorically.

  “I wouldn’t even try.” She chuckles.

  I sigh and shake my head as she nuzzles closer.

  “Can we go back inside? It’s kinda cold, and we are in the middle of an ocean.”

  “No we aren’t, the currents don't take us that fa– you paddled us out that far didn’t you.” I sigh.

  “If you kiss me, I’ll tell the truth!” She giggles.

  “...No. I’m paddling us back in.” I groan.

  The scent of rain hits my nose and I groan again.

  “We have to get back inside and close up quickly, otherwise the flooding from the cove will flood my house!” I grunt.

  I pick up a paddle and start churning the water.

  I turn around and she's paddling in the opposite direction.

  “What are you doing.” I say, not ask.

  “Making sure we get caught in the storm, so I can see your shirt stick to your abs.” She responds with a thumbs up and sticking her tongue out the corner of her mouth.

  “You do realize that if my house floods, we both end up back on the street?” I say it slowly to let it sink through her very hormone-addled teenage mind.

  She pauses for a moment before turning around and paddles furiously.

  “I’m not going back to the streets!” She wails as she struggles to make leeway.

  I roll my eyes and dip the paddle into the water and push the raft forward.

  We gain momentum and soon bump into the dock.

  As I moor the raft as fast as I can, I tell her to hurry to the house and to start pulling the rock panels onto the windows.

  When I turn around, she’s looking around the windows, I presume looking for the panels.

  I groan, “Just go inside.” I tell her.

  I quickly pull them down and lock them in place.

  There is an automatic pull down, but it doesn't lock, and I rather do it all in one go then run inside, hit a button and run back out to lock it down.

  As I pull the last one down, I return to the door and step back inside.

  With a sigh, I slump onto the couch.

  I feel the day's tension leak out of me and I let my head fall back.

  Eva walks up and sits next to me, curling into my side.

  “Has anyone ever told you that you act like a cat?” I ask.

  “I lived on the street Kari, wasn't close enough with anyone for them to make the comparison.” She remarks.

  “Good point. I'm really tired. Like crazy tired.” I mumble as my head swims in exhaustion.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  She smacks me before looking up.

  “Brush your teeth before you fall asleep.” She scolds me. “You made me brush mine.”

  “You haven't brushed yours in years. On the street, remember? Extreme homelessness. You didn't buy any hygiene stuff on the street.” I remind her.

  “Speaking of which, I need to get you to a dentist. He can take care of your pearly whites.” I tell myself as my eyes grow heavy.

  “Not joking! Brush!” She groans.

  With a grunt, I push myself up and shuffle into the bathroom.

  I fumble with the lights for a minute before succeeding and grab my toothbrush and squinting soap on it.

  I was about to brush my teeth with it before realizing I put soap instead of toothpaste. I'm tired as hell.

  I wash off the bubbles and squeeze the toothpaste onto it, and brush my teeth.

  Spitting into the sink, I look up into the mirror.

  I sigh.

  I don't fuck with mirrors.

  I really hate them.

  In the mirror, my reflection is just pure black with two white orbs for eyes staring back, with chaos encircling the image in the mirror.

  Weird writing, apparitions. Just what mentally ill would see.

  Makes sense, I am unwell, but I will never get why I only see it in a mirror.

  I turn away and return to Eva.

  “Hop up, let's go to bed.” I tell her.

  “The couch is comfy enough…” she mumbles with her eyes closed.

  “Well, I guess if you wanna sleep here I can take the bed. We don't have to share.” I say with a smirk.

  Immediately she gets up and is at my side.

  “We're gonna share a bed?” She asks.

  “Well, we're dating aren't we? And you're clean.” I remind her.

  She smiles and follows me to the bedroom where I flop onto the massive bed.

  “Why do you have a fancy king sized bed? Aren't they for like three people?” She asks.

  “You move a lot while sleeping.” I tell her.

  “Yeah, but it's your bed, why would you think about that?” She asks.

  “Nows not the time to ask these questions. Check the closet. If it doesn't answer your questions, I'll do it in the morning.” I groan with my face in the pillow.

  She opens it and turns back to me.

  “How'd you know my sizes? You even got my chest ri–”

  “Did not need to know that!” I yell into a pillow.

  She pouts, clearly wanting to tease me.

  “Anyways, it was a prediction. You always would tell me all your sizes as a kid, and knowing your consumption and growth rate, and accounting for increased hormone production, I guessed right.”

  “Yeah you even got the color for my underwe–”

  “What about not needing to know is hard to understand. Just get in bed, and go to sleep.” I mumble as I roll over and close my eyes.

  I hear rustling and feel the bed move as she gets in.

  I expect it, and it comes to pass that she curls her arms around my chest.

  I sigh, and accept it by rolling over to her surprise, and wrapping my own arms around her.

  “Shorty.”

  “I'M TALL DAMMIT!” She yells into my chest flailing.

  I kiss the top of her head and she calms down.

  “Wrong area. My hair is not my lips.” She says, muffled by my hoodie.

  “Not what I was gonna kiss either way.”

  “Booooo!” She chuckles.

  She pulls her face out of her hoodie and she looks at my face.

  “What happened while we were apart?” She asks.

  “Today? I went to a mansion.” I say.

  “No, I mean in all these years apart. What happened? You were just as broke as I was. How did you afford all of this?” She asks, looking into my eyes.

  I look away, and clear my throat.

  “A lot of stuff happened. I don't think it's good to dwell on it. And for the money, I found a talent of mine and exploited it.” I reply, evading the question.

  “What's the talent?” She asks, her gaze piercing my soul.

  “You should drop this.”

  “What is it?” She insists.

  “Fighting. Fighting is my talent.” I reply, my gaze locking with hers again.

  “You could fight me…” She growls playfully.

  I glare at her with dead eyes before grabbing a pillow and smashing it into her face.

  “U–Hey! Not fair! I'm just trying to flirt.” She complains, throwing the pillow back at me.

  “Uh, that is not flirting. That's just trying to get laid.” I correct.

  “Just fall for my feminine charm!” She groans.

  “I already did. It doesn't mean I'm doing that though. I won't sleep with anyone till I marry them.” I reply.

  “Marry me then.”

  “You are literally sixteen, can you turn off the hormones for a second? It's not happening for a while. Try again at eighteen.” I scold her.

  “It's kinda hot in here.” She mumbles.

  “Then take off your hoodie.”

  “But then I'll be cold…” She whines.

  “You want me to take off my shirt so you can hold me.” I assume.

  “Exactly.”

  “Will you go to sleep if I do?” I ask.

  “I won't make a zip for the rest of the night.” She promises.

  I sigh and sit up to remove my hoodie and shirt.

  I toss them into the corner of my room where a laundry basket sits and lay back down.

  She cuddles up and smooshes her cheek against the middle of my back.

  “You have wide shoulders.” She remarks while clutching tighter.

  “Didn't you say no more peeps? Do you want me to sleep on the couch?” I ask her irritatedly.

  She sighs and settles down.

  Her breathing slowly settles and I feel her talking in her sleep.

  “Brokastis? Tas ir retums tavai, mammīt. Kāds ir iemesls?” She mumbles.

  I furrow my brow, and wonder what the strange words are. It's not Japanese, or English.

  Oh yeah, I guess after hanging out with Josh and such, my thoughts ended up being in English. I hear everything in it I guess.

  I close my eyes and enter her mind.