Thirteen Hours To You by Annie Emerson

Author:Annie Emerson [Emerson, Annie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-04-11T16:00:00+00:00

Meekai: Nope.

Me: What?

Meekai: You were never a goodbye, Violet. WE were inevitable.

Me: Promise to catch me?

Meekai: Always, Violet. Always . . .

13

Radley

The rest of the week went on much like the first day of vocal isolation, and I’d begun to crave each message Meekai sent. Each piece of himself that he gave made me feel closer as I caught each one and filed it away in the compartment of my heart that was slowly being built just for him.

When someone gave you a piece of their truth, you held it like lightning in a bottle and cherished it. It didn’t matter if I wanted him there or not, it just happened. Sometimes your heart made choices for you; choices you couldn’t take back because it was usually too late. You’d already fallen on your face while your heart smiled happily, giving you the middle finger as it sashayed away.

Meekai had told me his mama died just over a year ago, and that his little sister was living with his father back in Adalita. He’d said everything he did now, visiting her every chance he got, wasn’t just for his sister. It was for his mama, too. He was determined to keep her memory alive so his baby sister knew how much she was loved by the woman he knew she would eventually forget. First she’d forget her face, then her voice. Until one day, she’d be nothing but a ghost of a memory.

In that one admission, a huge part of me unwillingly fell for him; for his determination and the limitless supply of love he held for his sister. Meekai understood how hard it was to hold onto the memory of someone’s face, and how easy it was to forget the sweet melody of their voice, because it was a luxury we took for granted. It was the one thing we had in common.

I could see the pain. I knew that pain, so I didn’t push him. I was curious, but I was also selfish. For every part of himself he gave to me, I felt I’d have to match it, and I didn’t want to. That meant admitting to my own. That meant the possibility of rejection, if he couldn’t handle how deep my scars went.

I wanna keep him. Those four words got louder and louder with every message, every truth and every wink he gave as he passed me in the hallway. With every Hershey’s Kiss he placed on my tray at lunch or hid in my locker.

Meekai: I know I promised I’d never kiss you, but know this, Violet. Every time you unwrap the foil and place the smooth, sugary sweetness between your lips, that’s me. The aftertaste left behind, a promise.

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