Page 67 of You + Me – Against the World

I loved you so much when

you were gone. I think

I could love you even more

if you were me.]

His reply comes so fast it makes me jump. Under the covers, my phone screen lights up the darkness of my miserable little cave.

[That was the longest

text in the entire history

of texts.]

[That is the lamest reply

in the history of replies.]

[So… no more

hot and cold?]

[It’s finished. I’m so cold without you.

Come keep me warm, Vadim… I dare

you to spend the night at my place!

Come to my room, right now?]

[If I get caught,

just so you know, you’re

coming to jail with me.]

[Wherever you want, as long as we’re

together. I’ll wait for you downstairs.]

Ten minutes later, I’m standing on the doorstep of my house waiting for Vadim to arrive, the front door half-open so I can see out. Georgia, who is a light sleeper, heard me sneak downstairs and came to check on me, asking softly if everything was okay. She accepted my lie without a word and went back to bed, giving me a knowing wink.

Vadim appears at the gate, and I give the button that opens it a short press, taking my finger off after a few seconds—just long enough for him to slip inside. The automatic security light turns on as he passes, and I pray it doesn’t wake anyone. I run toward him in my socks and jump into his arms in the middle of the driveway. He kisses me, and I don’t push him away. Not even slightly. This reunion looks much more like the one I’d dreamed of.

We’ve been alone in the world, in the cold, but now the heat between us rises again. Our mouths find each other, our hands roam, our bodies come together, our hair and fingers become tangled, our sighs mingle, and my desire finds its way back to his. Unchanged.

“We should go inside, shouldn’t we?” Vadim whispers, catching his breath.

“Come on then, you’re the outlaw. Show me how you sneak into a house without making a sound,” I challenge him with a grin.

He laughs at my old-fashioned turn of phrase. I try to click the heavy door of the house closed as quietly possible, but Vadim asks me to let him do it, given my legendary lack of stealth. Then, we quietly head upstairs. In my head, I thank my mother for her love of carpeting, which makes things so much easier for us. Finally, we slip into my room and stand behind the door for a moment, hearts pounding, smiles on our lips, listening for the slightest sound. Everyone seems to be sleeping soundly though. The night is ours.

I turn around to face Vadim, grab his wrists, and trap them behind his back. Rising on my tiptoes, I and move closer to his perfect lips, pretending I’m going to kiss him, before pulling away at the last second.

“I’m arresting you for breaking and entering, Vadim Arcadi.”

“I confess to everything, but I’d also like to turn in my sexy accomplice in socks…”