11. Fire


Neil did everything he could to never touch her. Occasionally, their arms would brush, or sometimes when Rio bought something from him, their hands touched in a delicate, fleeting way as he handed her change to her. This tiny second of contact between them always made his stomach churn; he couldn't stand this feeling. Was she doing it on purpose? Why wasn't she affected by this subtle touching like he was…? Why did he crave this stupid, meaningless interaction?

Something was happening to him, a feeling he hadn't experienced before. It was a feeling of fire burning in his stomach.