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Sitting on the broomstick with my eyes closed, I search my memory for a funny scene.
It doesn’t take me long to find one.
I’m lying in my bed, in my apartment. No—it’s not my apartment. I’m only 15. It’s my mother’s apartment. It’s two years before she passes away.
I’m sick with a cold. My throat hurts. It’s scratchy and raw. My mom always made the best honey lemonade when I was sick. There’s a mug of that on my nightstand. I hear the apartment door open.
I want to call out and see if it’s Mom. She went out to the market to get me some chicken soup.
My throat hurts too much to call out.
Footsteps.
The bedroom door swings open—
—and there’s Mom, standing in the doorway—dressed as a chicken!
I burst out laughing. I can barely see her face in the little gap where the mega-sized chicken’s beak opened up.
“Mom!” I say, between giggles. “What are you doing?”
She starts doing the chicken dance.
I smile, just thinking about it. I feel my feet leave the ground. Now I’m hovering in the air.
I open my eyes. Azure’s watching me. “Good!” she says, giving me a thumbs up. “Keep going!”
I squeeze my eyes shut again.
Mom is in the doorway of my bedroom, doing the chicken dance in her giant bright yellow and red chicken suit, while I giggled uncontrollably. She dances right up to my bed. “Did you say you wanted me to pick up a chicken suit?” she says.
“No, Mom!” I manage, between laughing fits. “I said chicken soup!”
“Oh... silly me... is that what you said?” Then, she reaches into a pocket that’s tucked away in the suit’s folds. “Well, look at that!” she says. “I got a chicken suit and chicken soup!”
She sits on the side of the bed.
“Mom!” I say, reaching out to touch the fuzzy suit. I’m finally able to catch my breath. “My throat doesn’t hurt anymore!”
“That’s because laughter is the best medicine, Sweet Pea,” my mom says. She reaches out with one of the suit’s feathered wings, and runs it lightly across my forehead.
Even now, I remember how it tickled.
I giggle. The broom starts to move beneath me.
“Steer it!” Azure says. “Over towards the window. Come on!”
I apply light pressure to one side of the broom, and the stick swerves slightly to the left, towards the kitchen window. Azure has opened it, and she ducks down and tucks her legs up as she swoops out of it.
I copy her, and soon I’m swooping through her window too, out onto the sidewalk.
We cruise down the walkway. I’m chasing after Azure, who is moving fast. We’re about four feet up in the air. As we’re about to emerge out onto the sidewalk in front of Blackbear Apartments, a figure turns onto the walkway, heading in our direction.
It’s Chris!
Azure swerves around him, laughing the whole time.
I’m still laughing about my memory, too. My whole being feels bright and bubbly, like I’m a giant glass of champagne, fizzing up and over-flowing over my own edges.
I swerve around Chris, just barely catching the shocked expression on his face as I pass by.
“Penny?” he says, swiveling around.
I don’t even look back. For one thing, I’m afraid that if I turn around, I’ll fall off of my broomstick. For another thing, I’m having too much fun! I want to go higher!
“Can’t talk now!” I shout. Then I give a big “Yippee!” as I take off after Azure, higher and higher into the sky.
We travel over town, flying over the rooftops along with ravens and falcons. I thought I’d been foolish to ride my bike without gloves, but now I realize that was nothing compared to flying a broomstick. My hands have become icicles. At least the numb sensation takes away what’s left of the pain in my wrist!
When we near the library, Azure loops around so that she’s next to me. She shouts something over to me. The breeze that’s been constant all day has now picked up force. Wind whips around us, and it’s hard to hear Azure.
“What?” I call out.
She shouts again. This time I’m able to read her lips. “I don’t know where the cabin is!” she shouts.
I smile. “I’ll lead the way!” I say. I make a sharp turn to the right. For a plain old broomstick, this thing sure is responsive!
I lead the way up the mountain, flying well above a sea of green trees below. I can see the Rainbow Lake path, snaking through the trees. I keep it in sight, and within ten minutes, I spot the sparkling blue of Rainbow Lake. The surface is wavy due to the wind, but from up here the waves look like wrinkles on a sheet.
I see a lone cabin, on the lake’s shore.
I slow down, and Azure cruises up behind me.
“How should we do this?” I ask.
I’ve been so excited about flying that I’ve entirely forgotten to come up with any sort of plan. I realize suddenly that we don’t even know for sure if Simone is in the cabin. Sure, I had a hunch, but—
Before I can stress about this too much, I see the cabin door begin to open.
I call out to Azure. “Should we hide?” I ask, urgently. “So that we can try to sneak up on her?”
Azure looks down. “I think it’s too late for that,” she says.
I follow the direction of Azure’s gaze. Simone is standing in the cabin’s doorway. Even from up here, I can see that she’s not happy. She’s shaking her fist at us. It almost looks like there’s smoke, coming off of her fist.
“What is she doing?” I shout over to Azure. We’re hovering, side by side. A strong wind pushes me to the side, and I have to fight to correct myself.
“She’s a fire witch!” Azure shouts. “That’s smoke, coming out of her hand! I’m afraid she’s going to do something drastic!”
“Like what?” I ask.
“Like that!” Azure says, pointing down at the cabin. Flickering orange flames have just become visible inside one of the windows.
“Oh, no!” I shout. “My book is in there!”
We watch in horror as Simone steps out of the cabin’s front door again. This time, she has a broom in her hand.
She gets on the broom.
“She’s going to make a getaway!” I say.
“I’ll go try to save the book!” Azure calls out.
I look down at the fire. It’s growing quickly, due to the wind. “No, Azure, don’t!” I shout. “It’s too dangerous!”
“It’s okay,” Azure returns. “I’m an air witch. I’ll create a vacuum. Fire can’t survive without oxygen. Follow Simone! Stop her before she makes it out through the portal!” With that, Azure points her broom groundwards, and zooms towards the cabin.
I want to stick around and make sure that she’s safe, but Simone is moving fast. If I don’t follow her now, she’s going to get away.
I know how close she is to breaking my portal-locking spell.
I have to catch her! I pull a quick U-turn, and take off after her.
We speed down the mountain, back towards town. Simone turns right, heading towards Hillcrest Pass. I do my best to keep up with her, and soon I’m only twenty feet behind her.
“You lied to me!” I shout. I’m not sure if she can hear me, but it feels good to yell. It actually makes me go a little bit faster, too. “I spent my friend Annie’s money to take that test!” I yell. “You messed everything up! You just set my most prized possession on fire! You caused a fight between one of my best friends and me! And worst of all, you killed Hiroku Itsu!”
We reach the beginning of Hillcrest Pass.
Simone is leaning down, so that her back is almost flat. I do the same, and speed up even more. I feel my body slice through the ice-cold wind.
It’s a good thing we’re almost to the pass. I don’t know how much more of this I can take!
Simone turns her broomstick down towards the ground.
Uh-oh. I’m not really sure how to land this thing.
I point my broom down too.
I’d better think some light thoughts.
As I hurtle towards the ground, I start thinking about the last time Marley and I questioned a suspect together. Marley pretended to be a bad cop, and I took the role of good cop. I remember how much Marley played up her bit, and I feel a smile play across my lips.
It works! I’m nearing the ground, but I have that floaty, bubbly feeling inside of me again, and my feet touch down lightly. The ground feels soft and springy beneath my feet. It’s magical!
I don’t have long to celebrate my success, because now Simone is running on foot, towards a gate that is up across the dirt road.
I follow her. “Not so fast!” I say. “I know you’ve been trying to break my spell, but you’re not going to. Not this time!”
She can’t run very fast in her heeled ankle boots. I’m closer now. I reach out, and my fingertips brush the back of her blazer, which is flapping out behind her as she runs.
“I will break your spell,” Simone says, turning to look over her shoulder. Her hair, so neatly pulled back before, is now a frazzled mess. There are streaks of ash on her cheeks. A sneer plays on her lips.
Turning like that slows her down. I reach forward again, and this time I catch a handful of material. I yank on it, causing Simone to trip. She lands in a heap, and I launch myself on top of her.
“Ha!” I say. “Didn’t think I would catch you, did you?” I ask. “I’m not a trained runner or anything, but I do some running. My friend Max gave me tips. Well—he’s more than a friend, actually, he’s—”
“You stupid, foolish girl,” Simone says. “You just never stop talking, do you?”
“I’m not stupid!” I say. In truth, her words have shaken me. I’m not the most self-confident person when it comes to my intelligence.
“I wanted you to catch me,” she says. Though I have her face pressed down into the dirt, I can tell from her tone that she’s sneering at me. “I bet you don’t even know any protection spells. You call yourself a member of the Terra Coven, but you know nothing of your element. You’re a disgrace to the title of ‘witch.’”
“Oh, please,” I say. “You did not want me to catch you.”
“I did, Penny,” Simone says. “I wanted you to catch me. It makes it so much easier to do this.”
Suddenly, I feel a burning sensation. I’m on top of her, trying to hold her down against the ground, but now I feel heat in all the places where I have contact with her. It’s as though I’m touching a stove that’s just been turned on, at a low heat.
Not only that, but the heat is growing. I don’t wait to see how hot she can get. I get off of her, as fast as I can.
She cackles, merrily.
“You silly, stupid girl! You thought you could defeat me alone. I’ve been a witch for 30 years! You’ve only been a witch for a few months. And now, your short-lived venture into the world of witchcraft is over. Without your book, you’ll be unable to progress.”
“You’re not going to get away with this!” I say. “You killed a woman, Simone. I can’t let you leave. It’s my responsibility to this town to make sure that you face justice!”
I shout this at the top of my lungs, which earns me another hearty cackle from Simone.
“Brave words, Penny. Brave words. But what can you do?” She raises both of her hands, and points them towards the gate. “I’ve been weakening your spell... little by little. This last hit should do the trick. Once I’m through that portal, you’ll never catch me.”
I suspect she’s right about that. The Fire Realm doesn’t seem like a very hospitable environment to strangers.
“Goodbye, Penny!” Simone says.
She holds her palms up, facing the fence. Electric bolts of bright green shoot outwards. I feel my hair whip out behind me. Her powerful spell seems to be creating weather of its own.
I grit my teeth. The wind is so forceful, that it pushes me backwards, away from Simone. I can see the green lightning bolts hit the metal fence.
The gate begins to break apart, one rung at a time.
“No!” I shout, through my barred teeth. I begin forcing my body forward, against the howling gale.
A hunk of metal flies in my direction. I duck and narrowly avoid being hit by it. Standing up again, I take another step forward. It’s hard to move against the force of her magic. I feel as though I’m trudging through a roaring river, in an attempt to move upstream.
“You are not going to get away with this!” I say. Another step; another inch gained. Then another.
I’m thinking of Hillcrest. I’m thinking of Hiroku. I’m thinking of Hiroku’s daughter.
I’m thinking of Blueberry Muffin, Hiroku’s orphaned pet.
“You... are... not... going... to get away with... murder!” I take one more powerful step, so that I’m right in between Simone and the metal gate.
She raises her palms so that they are facing right at me. I see green bolts of light emanate from the center of each of her hands.
The instinct to duck and dodge her attack fills me, but I can’t move fast enough. Before I know it, a hot, burning sensation fills my body as the bolts of lightning streaming from her palms hit me.
My feet leave the ground as electricity flows through me. I feel my whole body begin to convulse.
I close my eyes.
The burning reaches a new level, searing through my veins.
I grit my teeth. Is this it? Is this how I’m going to die? Alone, at the hands of a fire witch? I’ve only just begun my study of magic. I’ve only just begun my relationship with Max. There’s so much that I haven’t yet experienced.
Pain. I feel sharp, burning pain ripping me apart, from the inside out. It’s not only physical. I feel the aching emotion of regret. There’s so much I’ve left undone. Unfinished. Unexplored.
I can’t die now. Not here. Not like this.
My thoughts become hazy. I know I’m close to passing out. I fight to hang on. Though it’s painful, I force myself to stay awake. Aware.
There are sounds of an explosion around me. I hear the fence splintering. Stones and earth, disturbed by the force of Simone’s spell, rain down on us. The wind whistles through the trees. And on top of that, I hear—sirens. Wailing sirens. Coming from down, lower on the pass.
I open my eyes.
I see a police car, rushing towards us. A second one is close behind. The first car skids to a stop, angled sideways on the dirt road. A plume of dust and dirt rises up behind it, almost hiding the second car, which has now skidded to a stop too.
Chris jumps out of the first car. Ted and Chief Holcomb jump out of the second. All three officers run towards me, Chris in the lead.
I try to call out, to warn them about Simone, but I find that I can’t speak a word. I’m paralyzed by the electricity running through me; I’m still convulsing. Chris is getting closer to me. ‘Watch out!’ I want to say. Then I feel Chris tackle me, pushing me out of the stream of electricity.
I fall to the ground, and Chris is on top of me.
“Penny!” Chris shouts. “Stay down!”
I do as he says. Though I’m weak and breathless, I finally manage to speak. “Chris, stop her! She’s dangerous!” I lift my head and look at Simone. Chris springs to his feat.
“Chief! Officer McDougal!” he says.
Chief Holcomb is aiming his gun at Simone. “Freeze!” he says.
Simone tilts her head back and cackles.
She’s actually enjoying this!
I realize suddenly that these officers have no idea what she is capable of. They see her empty hands as a weakness; she’s not holding a weapon. They don’t know the extent of damage she’s capable of!
I close my eyes, and try to take a deep, steady breath. It’s hard at first. My lungs still burn a little bit. I try again. “My place of power is above the clouds,” I whisper to myself. I focus on the sensation of breathing in and out. I feel the world begin to fade away. I feel myself centering, transcending the chaos around me, and growing more powerful with each and every breath.
With a final breath, I open my eyes.
My mind is clear. I know what I have to do.
“Her hands!” I call out to Chris. “Cuff her hands behind her back! She can hurt you with them!”
Every time I’ve seen Simone work magic, it was with her hands. We need to restrain them. I try to get to my feet, but I’m still too weak. I stumble and fall.
I look up. Chris is looking in my direction, confused. “She doesn’t have a weapon, Penny!” he shouts.
I shake my head. He doesn’t get it. There’s no time. I look back at Simone. She’s raising her hands now, aiming her palms at Chris.
I struggle to stand again. “Come on,” I whisper to myself. On my feet, I hurtle towards Simone.
“Chris, duck!” I shout, as I watch fiery lightning shoot out from Simone’s palms. I collide with Simone. She’s so focused on Chris that she didn’t see me coming. She topples to the side. I pin her to the ground, but I don’t want to stay on top of her for long. I know how that ended, last time. I spring up, off of her. “Chris, your cuffs!” I shout.
Chris runs towards me. As I hold Simone’s wrists behind her, Chris snaps on the cuffs.
Simone’s palms now face each other. I see green light flowing between her palms, but now it can go nowhere except back to her own body.
Chris looks over at me. “What is that?” he says. “How did you know she was going to attack me?”
“I just knew,” I say. “Keep her hands together like that,” I warn him. “She’s armed—even if we can’t see her weaponry.”
Chris nods. “You’re right,” he says, shaking his head. I know he’s having trouble wrapping his mind around what he just saw.
I hear the sound of more sirens, and look down the road. The ambulance is rushing towards us. Following closely behind, is Marley’s van.
It takes me a half an hour to convince the medics that I don’t need to go to the hospital, and another half an hour to explain everything to Chris in a way that he can believe. He doesn’t quite understand why Simone was willing to kill over a little green book, but as soon as he confronts her over it, she starts talking.
“Of course, I killed that annoying lawyer woman!” she says, from the back of the cop car. “And I would do it again. Just you wait, Penny Banks! I’m going to be back for you! I’m going to—”
Chris slams the door of the cop car before Simone can threaten me anymore.
“You’re going to keep her locked up, right, Chris?” I ask. “With her hands restrained?”
“For life, I’m guessing,” Chris says. “She just confessed to murder. On top of that, she tried to kill you. What kind of invisible weapon was she using to make those green electric charges?”
Magic, I think. I know that Chris won’t like that answer, so instead, I say, “Something really high tech.”
Chris nods. “It almost looked... military grade.” He shakes his head.
Then he looks at me. “Did I see you, earlier, on some kind of a hoverboard? I didn’t know something like that existed.”
I sigh. “Really, Chris? You think that was a hoverboard?”
Chris looks uncomfortable. I decide to spare him. “Yeah,” I say. “My friend Azure and I are part of an early test group. They’re called ‘broomstick hoverboards.’ They’ll probably hit stores this Christmas.”
“Cool,” Chris says with a nod. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”
I nod. “Positive,” I say.
“Penny, you were just electrocuted by some crazy military-grade stun gun. I really think you should get checked out.”
I shake my head again. “I can’t go to the hospital now,” I say. “I feel fine. Better than fine, actually.” I smile. “Besides, there’s something I need to do. It’s important, and I have to do it alone.”
“You’re so weird,” Chris says, shaking his head. “Amazing... but weird.”
“Thanks,” I say, sincerely.
Chris walks away, towards the cop car, and I move towards the broomstick Azure lent me, which is lying off to the side of the road.
“Penny!”
I turn and see Marley running towards me. “Are you okay?” she asks. “I saw the explosion, and I tried to call you! You didn’t answer, so I called the police. I figured that was the next best thing.”
“It was,” I say, with a smile.
“Azure’s here, too!” Marley says. “She wants to tell you that she’s sorry about yelling at you. She feels bad about that. And look—your book!” She reaches into her purse and lifts out my little green ASBW.
I smile as I hug it to my chest. My precious book! I never imagined I could feel this happy to hug a book.
Marley continues. “She has all of our papers, too! She said that she saved them from a fire!” She points across the chaotic scene. I see that more of the town has gathered, including Cora, Annie, and Azure. Cora is holding Blueberry Muffin. I see a pile of papers in Azure’s hand.
There’s one being that isn’t here.
Max.
However, as my eyes roam over the hectic scene, I find that my heart understands.
Of course.
Of course, he’s not here.
This is not the time, or the place.
Not here.
“Silas is going to be set free,” I say. “Now that Simone has confessed, they have no reason to hold him.”
“Cora is going to be so relieved. She’s excited to talk to you. Come on! Let’s go! You’ve got to congratulate Cora, too. Hiroku’s daughter arrived and said that she doesn’t want to take Blueberry Muffin back to Boston. Cora is going to keep Blueberry!” Marley claps her hands, happily. “I think Blueberry Muffin is Cora’s familiar! Isn’t that great?”
I smile. “It’s awesome... but there’s something I need to do, first. Alone.”
Marley meets my eyes. With one look, we’re on the same page.
“You’re going to attempt the Desire Spell, aren’t you?” she asks.
I stoop and pick up my broomstick. “I talked about it with Max,” I say.
Mentioning Max’s name makes me smile. I feel lightness begin to fill me up. It will be easy to begin to fly. “He told me about the part none of us could remember. I think I’m ready to give it a shot, and I have a really strong feeling that now is the right time.”
“Then go for it, sister!” Marley says.
“Thanks, Marley,” I say. I throw my arms around her. “Tell Cora I love her and I accept her apology. Tell her I’m sorry too. I’ll see all of you soon. Maybe we could meet at the Death Cafe later?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Marley says. “Now go, tend to your business.” She gives me a wink.
With that, I head off into the woods on foot, carrying my broomstick with me.
Once I’m out of sight, I tuck my book under my arm and throw my foot over the broomstick. I feel light and happy as I levitate off of the ground. I make sure to think of funny, playful thoughts as I point the end of the broom up, towards the treetops. Soon, I’m soaring over the trees, and then over Hillcrest.
The wind is bitingly cold. I know exactly where I’m heading.
The Stinky Socks Hot Spring is calling my name.
I slow my speed as I pass over Mill Creek Meadow and then veer South.
Scanning the ground through the treetops, I look for a small body of water.
Soon, I spot it. I’m careful to think light, happy thoughts as I land on the ground. As before, the ground seems to give way beneath me—almost as if I’m landing on a trampoline covered with pillows. Once my feet are on the ground, I hop off of my broomstick.
The Stinky Socks Hot Spring is about the size of a hot tub that’s sunk into the earth, but instead of plastic sides, it’s made entirely of natural stones. It is positioned in a small clearing in a grove of aspen trees. Tall white and grey slightly gnarled aspens hover round the tub, as if they’re watching over it. A big, bright white crescent moon is rising over the treetops even though it’s only nearing four o’clock.
There is no one else here. The wind has died down now that it’s late in the afternoon, and besides the occasional hoot of a far off owl, I’m alone.
I crack open my book.
Standing beside the tub, I begin to read.
The Desire Spell
Dear One,
You have desires, don’t you? They burn like fire, inside of you.
Sometimes, the fire seems to burn you, from the inside out.
With this spell, you will learn to cherish the flames of your desire. You will have an experience of reveling in the heat.
Here are your steps, Dearest One.
Practice with precision, and a playful heart.
To Cast the Desire Spell
You must be situated near a natural body of water. Natural is key—the Earth must hold you as you bathe.
Now, step into it. Feel it wash you clean. Wash away all of you—become brand new.
Next, feel your desire to the fullest. You will feel afraid here—you’ve never allowed yourself to want so much. In the past your wanting hurt you. Not this time, child. Feel it all.
The third step is to practice intentional amnesia. You know the way.
Finally—enjoy. Be IN JOY, child. Soak in it. Marinate. Let it seep into your bones.
In this way, you will experience what True Desire is supposed to feel like. What you want will come to you, for it is Law. Do not wait. Do it now. Close this book, and experience, child.
––––––––
I don’t read another word. Instead, I snap the little book closed.
If I’ve learned one thing over these past few months, it’s that strange and magical things happen when I actually do what this ancient book tells me to do.
I pull off my striped shirt, and then fold it up into a neat little stack. Then I strip off my pants. I’m going to have to ride my broomstick home after this little adventure with magic, after all, so I’d better have some dry clothes. I do leave my undergarments on, because—well, I’m just not that comfortable with getting naked out in the woods by myself.
I place the book down on top of my pile of clothes. It would do no good to ruin it by dropping it in the tub, after all the work I’ve just done to get it back from Simone.
I walk to the edge of the natural tub. The ground is cold beneath my feet. It feels so good to lower myself into the steaming water.
“Ahhhh...” I say aloud, breathing out as I slide into the hot, silky smooth water.
I find a stoney seat that’s just the right height for me. Once my shoulders are submerged, I lean my head back against the tub’s stoney rim.
Looking up at the sky, I imagine that I’m completely clean. I’m brand new. My imagination becomes real. I am new.
Time slides by, languidly. An hour passes, and then two. Soon little white twinkling stars begin to poke out from the soft lavender sky. I watch them emerge as the sky darkens. They twinkle back at me, first ten, then one hundred. The sky becomes darker and then there are thousands up there.
Alright—It’s time to feel what I want. I have a sensation like I’m in line for a rollercoaster ride. Am I ready? In my mind, I step onto the ride, and buckle myself in. I’m committed.
Okay—what do I want? What do I really, really want?
The answer comes to me, effortlessly. I don’t even have to think about it really; it’s like my question was shouted out into a canyon, and my answer is the echo, playing back to me automatically.
I want Max.
I really, really want Max.
I think I might love Max. Yep—I’ve been burned before by love, but if I can trust this book, I can’t let the fire scare me off. I need to feel the heat of it.
And right now, cleansed and feeling brand new, it does feel fun to let myself want him.
This is exciting!
Now, for the third step: Intentional amnesia.
I recall what Max told me, about intentional amnesia.
In my mind, I gather up all of my desire for Max. Then, I imagine a target, somewhere off in the distance. That’s my future with Max. I imagine loading the arrow into the bow, pulling back the string, and letting the arrow fly.
A huge sense of relief fills me. I don’t have to hold onto the arrow forever. I can just let it go.
I let my head loll back against the tub’s rim. I close my eyes, feeling a sense of peace and contentment in every bone of my body. It feels divine.
For minutes on end, I just let myself soak and enjoy it.
A soft rustling sound in the woods causes me to open my eyes.
Max is approaching the hot tub. He’s wearing bright red swim trunks, furry ugg boots, and a puffy jacket. He has a white towel in his hand.
I smile.
He unzips his jacket. “Penny,” he says, in that deep, resonant voice that I love. “What a surprise! I didn’t know that you enjoyed winter night soaks.”
“Oh, I do,” I say.
I watch Max carefully remove his boots. He folds his jacket, and then deposits his towel on top of his little stack of clothes. He walks towards the tub.
“Mind if I join you?” He asks.
Mind? I summoned him here. Of course, I don’t mind!
I smile. “Not at all,” I say.
He lowers himself into the tub, across from me. He sighs, just as I did. I watch him. My mind is completely blank. I feel this vast sense of freedom, flowing through me.
Max meets my eye. I begin moving towards him. He moves towards me. I feel butterflies in the pit of my stomach as I wrap my arms around his neck. Never once do I break eye contact with him. I don’t need to. I want this—with every cell of my body.
He wraps his arms around my waist. And then, as if it’s just as natural as breathing, our lips meet. The kiss is soft and gentle, but then it becomes deeper. I’m not thinking at all. All I can do, in this moment, is just enjoy.
I want Max Shire so goodly.
I want him in the best way.