Page 197 of Ruin Me With Lies

“Yeah.To haunt her.”

“Nah,hombre.”He laughs at me again, loud and amused.“Hellnah.You better wait it out.No one is taking that risk.”

“What happens if you interrupt her while she’s sparring?”

“From past examples?She either breaks your bones or kicks you off her team.”He chews on his stick.“Between the two, getting our bones broken is preferable.‘Cause being on Ray’s team?Best gig there is.But no one wants broken bones either, you know?She’sfast.You never see her coming.Why risk it?”

My girl sounds like a badass.“How long does she usually spar for?”

“Depends on how upset she is.And Ray’s beenrealupset these days.Could be hours.”He eyes me with a little more focus now.“Look…they won’t admit it, but everyone will be stoked to see you here in one piece.Your presence will change the atmosphere, no doubt ‘bout that.But no one is going to risk her wrath for you.”

He pats the grass next to him.“Come on, relax.Take asiesta.Enjoy the fresh air while the weather is still good.Your time with Pavlov couldna’ been anything but a stressful mindfuck.”

Hard as it is to let go of the tension clawing at me, it’s clear there’s no other option.Hell, I waited six months.What’s another hour or two?

I throw one more glance toward the mountain, then tug up my sleeves and sink into the grass beside him.“What’s your name?”

“Manuel.”

“You guys always this chill in the middle of the day, Manuel?”

“When we are at ThreeFours, yes,” he replies.“This is where we cool down.Recover.”

“And other times?”

He lets out a chuckle devoid of humor.“Other times...life is fuckingloco, man.We don’t always all come back alive.”He glances sideways at me.“You should know, eh?”

Yeah.

~

SOMETHING’S FLUTTERING AROUNDmy face.

I rouse from a light nap to the blur of fast-beating wings, two tiny birds darting back and forth over my head.And I can’t help but smile, because fuck if this isn’t some Utopian shit.

They chirp then zip away into the sky, as if their dalliance right above my face isn’t as fun if I’mconscious.

Scratching my jaw, I glance to my left to check if Manuel’s still there, but instead of the Latino’s friendly brown eyes, I’m met withgreen.Soft, bright,beautifulfucking green.

My heart lurches against its cage, then settles into something deeper.Something steady.Because I see it now…

The thick black veil of desolatenothingnessthat I couldn’t see past a few years ago rips open, and suddenly…there’slight.A picture of a future.Years and years of it.Filled withher.As my wife.As the mother of my kids.As my obsession.As the very reason I breathe.

It’s her.She’s it.My reason.My future.

“Hey you,” she whispers.

Fuck.That voice.There’s no sweeter sound.

Disheveled.Damp tendrils clinging to her cheeks.Splotches of mud streaked across her face.A reddened scratch on her neck.She looks like she’s returning from a battlefield…

And she’s still the most flawless fucking thing I’ve ever seen.

A sigh escapes me, unprompted, reverent.“There you are...”

I’m in love with you.

She smiles.And it’s real.Genuine.True.Thisis her.The girl I’ve been desperate to know.“Here I am.”