Page 75
Story: Orc Me, Maybe
I roll onto my side, careful not to jostle Lillian. “I love you.”
He doesn’t say it right away. He just leans in, kisses me like it’s the first time all over again, and murmurs, “Forever.”
Lillian is snoring. Not in the gentle, movie-scene kind of way, either. I mean full-on, nose-whistling, one-arm-flung-over-my-face snoring. She’s dead asleep, curled up between me and Torack in a nest of blankets and overgrown grass, clutching her jar of fireflies like it contains state secrets.
I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything.
The stars are still out in full force, scattered like someone shook a box of diamonds over navy velvet. A few of the brighter ones blink lazily, half-hidden by drifting clouds.
The air smells like pine needles, distant smoke, and the faintest hint of enchanted raspberry tea. I press my cheek against the blanket, watching the soft glow of the fireflies reflect in the jar glass. They blink like they’ve got something to say, like they’re singing lullabies with their light.
Torack’s shoulder is warm against mine.
His hand finds my waist and lingers there. Possessive. Gentle. Steady.
“I think she might be part warthog,” I whisper, brushing a bit of Lillian’s curly hair off my mouth. Torack grunts.
“Or maybe she’s just yours now.”
My heart does this weird clench-flutter thing it’s been doing ever since he dropped to one knee and changed my entire world.
“Yours too,” I say, softer.
“Ours.” He doesn’t speak for a minute. Just shifts so our arms touch from elbow to fingertip, like he can’t not be close.
“You make this feel real,” he finally says.
“What? The snoring?”
He huffs, that rare, almost-laugh sound. “All of it. The camp. Her. Us.”
I sit up just a bit, careful not to jostle Lillian. “It is real.”
Torack looks at me like I’ve handed him something fragile.
“You’re staying.”
I nod. “Forever.”
He shifts closer, reaching for my hand. “You sure?”
“You’re the one who proposed, remember?”
“I thought maybe you came to your senses.”
I smirk. “Please. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Even if your bedtime stories involve a lot more explosions than mine.”
“She likes action.”
“She also likes sparkles and sticker charts.”
Torack raises an eyebrow. “We can negotiate.”
We fall into silence again, the good kind. The kind where your body’s still buzzing from the day, but your mind’s finally still.
Lillian’s breathing settles, and one of the fireflies escapes her jar, hovering just above our heads. I reach out and let it land on my finger.
“Do you think,” I ask, “she’ll remember this?”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75 (Reading here)
- Page 76