Page 4 of The Death of Kisses

“Lilly I swear to god just let me take care of you for once in your fucking life.” He growled and all I could do was shove him out of the way as I dove for a bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before the contents of my stomach ejected in a violent spasm.

Lee’s frame was over me, holding my hair out of my face as I continued to vomit. He stood there like a silent guard waiting for my stomach to empty.

Throwing my hand across the toilet handle I flushed and sat against the wall.

“Did you drink too much?” Lee’s urgent voice filtered through the sleepy haze I had been battling.

“I only had one b-beer, while I was d-d-dancing,” I stuttered.

“Jesus fucking Christ Lilly, you’ve been drugged,” Lee was in front of my face, his cool hand felt nice against my cheek.

“W-w-what?” I mumbled leaning on his chest.

“Fuck,” he muttered as his arms came across my body lifting me to him.

The music was back, louder than it had been before, and something felt nice about the way Lee’s arms cradled me against his chest.

“Yo, what’s your name?” He grabbed a guy by the back of his shirt.

“Mike, and your Lee Callahan,” he grinned.

“Listen Mike, my sister is still around here partying if you see her tell her Lilly wasn’t feeling well and I took her home. I’ll pay you five hundred dollars to keep an eye on her and bring her home when she’s ready.”

“Deal,” he slapped Lee’s hand and my eyes fell closed.

The cool November air hit my face as we made it away from the pounding base of the house music. Lee walked us toward his bike and set me down.

“Think you can hold on to me for a little while longer?” He asked and I nodded feeling a heat flush through my system.

“Alright hold on tight, I might be breaking a few laws.”

“Lilly, you can let go now,” Lee’s voice hummed through his chest as my eyes slowly opened. Were we back home already? There was a little drool on the back of his jersey as I sat up and swiped at my mouth.

“Hey there she is, come on let’s get you inside.” He dismounted and I swung my legs over ready to stand up. Lee’s hands were underneath me again lifting me to his chest as he shoved open the garage door. There weren't any lights as he walked the familiar path through the large house.

I didn't even realize it at first—my heart pounding in my chest—as he gently laid me down on the soft, welcoming comforter, and then quietly walked away to the bathroom, leaving me suspended in a moment of fragile vulnerability.

“Lee?” I whispered, my voice trembling like a delicate leaf hanging in a storm, desperate to hold on to any thread of him after what felt like an eternity of silence.

No answer.

“Lee?” I called again, my voice cracking with raw vulnerability, each word begging for a response, a sign that I hadn’t lost him completely.

Still nothing.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest as I staggered toward the doorway. There he was, standing still, shirtless, his heavy breathing echoing like he’d just come in from a brutal run on an unforgiving field. The sound of water splashing loudly into the basin, gurgling down the drain, filled the room with a haunting rhythm. His midnight hair, drenched and clinging to his skin, shimmered as he stood there, silently watching the water wash away what was left of him.

“Lee?” I asked softly, almost afraid to break the frail silence, not wanting to startle him, yet desperate for him to acknowledge me.

“You drive me crazy,” he said, his voice low and raw, as if the words themselves were steeped in pain.

“Why?” I managed to whisper, my voice quivering with hope and fear intertwined.

“Everything about you screams for me to take you, to punish you for being reckless. To claim you as mine—” His voice faltered as he took a hesitant step toward me, conflicting emotions flickering across his face like a storm raging inside him.

“But?” I prompted, knowing well there was always a but, a reason that might shatter my hope. I steadied myself, bracing for rejection as he hesitated.

“When I saw you grinding against Jace, something wild and primal seized my mind. A feral instinct took over, and I wanted to destroy him, wanted to rip him apart. It terrified me—what I felt was so dark, so uncontrollable,” he whispered, voice just inches from mine, eyes shadowed with turmoil and desire.