21

Kyle I expect Rai to kick me in the balls like she promised she would. I’m already prepared to catch her knee. But that’s sober Rai. Drunk Rai stares at me with sadness so deep its sharp edge points at my chest. I have no idea why I allowed her to get drunk in the first place, knowing full well she becomes even more unpredictable—and free—when on the liquor. She lost some of her shackles on the way here, and I’m seeing a glimpse of the carefree girl she was when Nikolai was alive, the girl who couldn’t care less about the traditional binds or what the world thinks of her. “Why do you know I like black?” she murmurs, not attempting to release her wrists from underneath my hold. “You think I forgot just because I left?” “You should. That’s how it’s supposed to be,” she pants, slamming her eyes shut hard before she opens them again. This time, moisture coats her lower lids. I wipe a finger under her eyes, taking her tears for my own. Everything that’s hers will be mine now, whether it’s h