Chapter 9: Distance
Occupied in a dream…
I bolt out of the Marine’s life with tears dripping out of my eyes, decorating my cheeks. I whimper in the bug-infested grass between our bungalows like a lost boy, damaged and filled with hurt. For as sweet and euphoric Marcos’s kiss was, the relentless proclamation afterwards was biting. I realize for the very first time that I have accidentally fallen for the man, unconditionally and inevitably. This is why my heart stings with such brutal force. This is why I feel breathless in the miniscule plot of sweet-scented grass between our abodes. This is why I almost fall to the soft earth and bury my head between my knees in shock, pain, and what little humility I have left. Dammit.
* * * *
A week passes without the man’s company. Two weeks. The fi
