“I’m not sure what’ll happen if I take it off. I know I’ll just be a regular mortal and die if someone slips in here and shanks me while I’m asleep. Or I might choke to death from all the Hellion muck I’ve been eating and breathing.”
She raps on the armor with her knuckles, takes my arms, and pins them down to the bed.
“That’s cool. I’m into cosplay. Between the armor and the arm you can be both brothers in Full Metal Alchemist.”
“So, we’re having a three-way with only two people.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
When Candy and I were alone together, we had a habit of wrecking rooms. Once upon a time we practically tore the walls down in here. Tonight isn’t like that. It’s slower and a lot more tentative, like Candy is still trying to convince herself I’m real.
Later, when we’re lying around and the sweat is cooling under my armor, Candy says, “This is weird.”
“Sleeping with a guy again?”
“Don’t be stupid. I keep waiting for someone to yell ‘April fool’ and for you to vanish.”
“The only joke in all this was me leaving. I’m not sorry about why I left but I’m sorry I didn’t come back. Before I left, I should have thought of a way to let you know I was all right.”
“There’s that. So how was it down there?”
“Mean and sad and strange and it ends with me being crowned prom queen of Hell.”
“Sure it does.”
She leans up on one elbow and looks at the clock radio.
“Shit. I should get back. Rinko will be waiting up for me. You know how girls are.”
“Don’t keep her waiting. That doesn’t turn out well for anyone.”
She runs a hand through her messy hair.
“Listen, Rinko is an old friend . . .”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me. Not now, not ever. Whatever you do is okay by me.”
She smiles, gets up, and gets dressed. At the door she tugs up her pants leg and slides my black bone knife out of a sheath on the side of her boot.
“You gave me this to hold for you. Now that you’re home, I suppose you’ll want it back.”
“I stole Mason’s. Why don’t you go ahead and keep that one.”
She smiles.
“For real? No take-backs?”
“No take-backs.”
She slips the knife back into its sheath and pulls down her pants leg.
“I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Talk to you then.”
She blows me a quick kiss on the way out.
Once upon a time I saved the world and lost a girl. Then I saved Hell and lost another girl. This is getting to be a bad habit.