I hadn’t seen her in a week. And we only texted once.
When she let me in, I took a seat on the couch. She was wearing a black dress with patterns of white and pink petals. She wore it well. She asked me if I wanted anything, and I said no. She brought out a glass of water and set it on the coffee table.
She reached both hands up behind her head - doing a hair thing. She said would be back in few and went upstairs. I knew something was up. While she was away, I didn’t reach for my phone. I just tried not to dwell on it. The wooden coffee table. The TV across the room was brand new. She had an old-fashioned coat rack by the entrance. I took a sip of water.
She came back down and sat next to me. I don’t know what she did, but she looked really good. Her face was glowy and her hair was down and had a subtle shine. I said that was fast. She gave a half laugh. I could partially see her pointy cute canines.
Then she got right into it and told me things were feeling off. I agreed. I explained it was a bummer that it happened because things were going so well. She asked me why I was keeping it a secret. I denied that anything was a secret. I told her my beliefs are important to me and I don’t want to share everything too soon. She nodded and said that it was hard to trust me.
I sympathized with her and got up from the couch. I reached for the keys in my pocket and told her I don’t think I’m a bad guy. I said we just had different experiences in life and headed for the door.
I paused politely for her to open the door. As she walked over, I felt the beginnings of a lump in my throat. I gave her a hug. I don’t know if it was me or her doing it, but it lingered. Her dress was soft and my hands on her back felt right. She stepped back and asked me if I would change my mind.
I said that people don’t stop growing and that the right person would help me grow in the right direction. Our lips locked. She smelled like a delightful blend of ocean air and vanilla. I reached deep around her waist and pulled her into me. I reached up behind her head and grabbed a lock of her hair.
I heard a burp. It wasn’t mine. I tasted old mushrooms. I felt something prickly in my mouth and tried to pull away from her. It hurt more to pull away and then I heard another, louder, burp. My mouth was searing. I felt thorns in the back of my throat.
I opened my eyes wide. Hers were off-white. She shoved me away from here. I noticed a decrepit rose in her hair that wasn’t there before. Blotchy lesions appeared on her face and skin.
I asked her what happened, but my words didn’t sound right. I touched my lips. My fingers glistened blood red.
Then I woke up.