We are going away for the weekend? Just the two of us?”

He loads our bags he took upon himself to pack without my knowledge this morning and grins. “Yes. Since we’re together, we need to start acting like a couple.”

“Isn’t that what we were doing the other night when you took me to dinner?”

He closes the trunk and walks over to me. He pushes me back against the car and kisses me.

“Yes, but couples are allowed more than one date.” I smile as I get into the car.

When we pull up to the airport, I look at him confused. He laughs. “Relax and just let me surprise you. all right?” I nod and get out of the car. I go to reach for my bag in the trunk, but he grabs all of the bags before I can help.

“I can help,” I say and walk beside him into the airport.

“You have major issues with letting me be nice to you. You do realize that, right?”

We get in line to have our bags checked.

“It does make me kind of uncomfortable.”

He laughs as we move up in line.

“Yeah, but you like it.”

“Not really.” I smirk.

He laughs again; then when it’s our turn, he hands the lady our bags who then puts them on the conveyer belt after labeling them to match our flight. I heard her say something about Ireland. After we walk through the metal detectors, Plath intertwines his fingers with mine.

“Ireland?” I ask with a raised brow.

“Bundoran Beach.” He smiles.

AFTER WE GET settled into the beach house, I follow Plath out onto the deck that gives a perfect view.

“Is this what running would be like?”

“Not forever.” He sits down in a chair and pulls me into his lap. “I would run out of money, and we’d eventually have to rough it.”

I lean into him as I watch the waves. The gnawing pain I feel can’t even be calmed by a serene place like this. As long as things in the Sphere are wrong, I will never be at peace. Everything inside of me will always be at war. The way I’ve always been so angry and unsettled makes so much sense now. I bet my therapist in Dandux would shit his pants finding out what truly troubles me.

I feel Plath’s lips trace the nape of my neck. His hand slips under my shirt, and the warmth of his fingertips on my bare skin intoxicates me. Pure ecstasy. I turn so I’m straddling his lap and kiss him deeply without holding back. He deepens the kiss, if that’s even possible, and picks me up. I keep my legs wrapped around his waist as he carries me inside.

He lays me back onto the soft sheets, and I tug at his shirt. He pulls it off and lets it fall to the floor. I run my hands up his bare chest until they are wrapped around his neck. I pull him down until our lips touch.

“I love you,” I whisper against his lips.

He slips off my shirt, and the rest of our clothes disappear so quickly I barely feel my jeans leave my legs. Maybe I should stop him. Maybe we shouldn’t do this, but truth is, I already had my mind made up that if it were to happen, I’d let it.

AFTER A SHOWER, I walk outside where Plath is sitting in the sand. I sit down beside him and rest my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arm around my waist and kisses the top of my head. He notices the letter I wrote to Felix folded in my hand.

He touches it. “What’s that?”

“A letter.”

“To?”

“My brother. I have no way of getting it to him, but it felt good to write it. I never told him bye or said I loved him back. I did what you said I should do when severing relationships. The quicker the less painful. But that was a load of shit. It hurts worse I think.”

“I’ll make sure he gets it.” He takes it from my hand and slips it into his pants pocket.

I tilt my head to look at him. I can tell by the staleness of his voice and the crease in his forehead he’s upset about something. “You’re mad about something, aren’t you?”

“Pissed actually.”

“Why?”

He laughs coldly. “As if you don’t already know.”

He looks like he’s on the verge of crying, and I don’t understand.

“We are both pissed about a lot of things. Which is it that’s bothering you so bad?”

“We just made love, Orion. I don’t know why I let that happen.” Whatever is bothering him right now is huge. He looks scared.

“Was it bad or something? I don’t understand.” To me, it was perfect.

He laughs, but his laughter fades and so does his smile. “It wasn’t bad.”

I watch his hand that’s not around my waist move slightly beside him.

“I don’t understand. Then what’s bothering you?” I practically beg.

Tears that I didn’t know he was capable of producing start to fall down his face. Before I can say anything, I feel a stabbing pain then warmth expand in my chest. My breath catches in my throat, and tears pool in my eyes. I look down and see a knife held by Plath’s hand and blood spilling from around it. My eyes lock on his, and I wish I could speak.

My body falls against his. I wish I had the strength to reach up and wipe his tears away. I want to tell him it will all be okay now, but most of all I want to thank him. My eyes begin to close, and the last thing I hear as I slip away is the sound of Plath’s voice in a faint whisper telling me I’m free.