Chapter 13:
A Perfect Distraction
Marceline's POV:
I sat alone on the bright blue couch inside of Simon's old wood cabin; from where I was sitting you could see the thin coat of snowfall from the window.
My arms were wrapped around the body of a black acoustic guitar I found in one of the rooms. I pulled it to my lap expecting to feel the weight of my heavy bass on my knee but my expectations were soon washed away; it felt so foreign in my arms I just went ahead and set it down beside me on the floor.
Today was the first day of winter break for Ember. She made it very clear she didn't want me to forget the date. I promised we could hang out since she hated her roommate and refused to go back to the city with her Dad.
Ever since we arrived in this new town I could tell she was enjoying the freedom she desired so badly. Em and I only hung out twice in the last 2 months and since I was lonely I didn't mind her company.
I remembered the warm smell of cinnamon filling my nose as I cried myself to sleep with her in my arms. Her body felt like she was running a temperature; my ice cold hands would accidently land on her triceps and she would jump up from the cold shock. When we woke up we were right where we had left each other; it had been a while since I slept that peacefully.
My head fell to the side onto a couch cushion; I rolled over on my back and swung my legs on top of the armrest. I let my shins dangle from the side as I wrapped both hands behind my head.
Having Ember around definitely helped with my depression; being able to cry with her that first night was such a relief on my stressed out emotions. She didn't ask me any more questions or judge me in anyway; she just laid there and let me be. You know despite her hot temper she was actually kind and warm-hearted; when I met her I felt like her personality was going to clash with mine really easily.
Em was definitely a misunderstood soul and I trust me I know a thing or two about going though that. I was able to handle her constant defensive barrier and she could put up with my hurt but reckless pride.
She should be here by now.
I pulled the gunmetal watch that was tied loosely around my wrist up to my face and read the time.
6 PM, it was already pitch black outside. Having longer nights was always my favorite part about the winter. I decided to sit back up and enjoy the tranquil lonely night outdoors.
I grabbed a black wool coat that was hanging on a coat rack by the door and made my way outside. My arms slipped into the armholes as I stared up above me. The sky was crystal clear; the stars and crescent moon illuminated the snow and I felt like I was in a washed out black and white photograph. The cold air rushed into my lungs and they expanded away the hidden pain that lingered in my heart.
My hand dipped into a hidden pocket in the inner lining of my coat. I felt the rectangular box and stubby chunk of plastic I was looking for and pulled them out as I studied the untouched snow in the front yard.
The spicy smell of the smoky tobacco cleared my sinuses and made my mouth water. There was a little part of my mind that was telling me it wasn't worth the trouble but my obnoxious heart craved the fake feeling of temporary happiness. I put the round tip of the brown filter to my lips and I cuffed my hand to protect the light spark coming from the lighter.
There was a small flicker of a flame and before I could bring it up to my guilty lips I heard her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I looked over and saw Ember bundled up in many layers of clothing. Her facial expression was apprehensive but she still gave me that great smile I've learned to miss.
"Oh? And why not?" I asked sarcastically with the stick of sorrow hanging from my mouth.
"You already have too many bad habits, if you add one more you'll break the world record." She laughed at her own joke and reached over for the stick that was still resting between my lips.
The cigarette went flying to the snow and it absorbed a small amount of water from the wet white powder.
"You're too straight edge, just let me have some fun." My tongue slithered out my mouth as I advanced to her.
She reached over to my other hand and grabbed the lighter out of my grasp, "You want to have fun?" Her thumb pressed down; the sparks transformed the gas into a beautiful orange flame and she danced her fingers near the top.
A small chuckle escaped me, "Not if you're in charge of that thing."
She tossed the back to my chest and I caught it before it slid down to the wet floor. Ember walked inside and held the door until I finally moved my lazy butt indoors.
An icy draft got trapped in the house as I pulled the door shut behind me. I watched her peel off her outwear as I sat myself on the couch; she was stripped down to a thin orange jacket and a white v-neck. She had a red-orange headband that complimented the color of her hair, dark blue jeans and some waterproof brown snow boots.
Ember leaned in and wrapped her arms around my neck for a quick hug. She pulled away before I could even process the embrace in my brain. "How was your test?"
"Aced it, duh" I reached my arms over the far side of the armrest and grabbed a large yellow envelope. The thick document paper glided out as I showed off my freshly printed GED.
Em hopped onto the couch next to me and grabbed the certificate out of my hands. "Wow, you finally have your big girl pants now don't you?"
She teased me with a face she made and I touched her warm neck with my cold fingers.
"GAH! Don't do that" Her hands tried rubbing the tainted cold skin back to it original warmth.
"Stop being so sarcastic, that's my job." My thumb pointed into my chest while I had a giant smile on my face.
Em looked at me and rolled her eyes.
"Were you playing something?" Ember noticed the black guitar nearby and pulled it up on her lap. The body was facing up as she ran her fingers down the strings; they gave out a low rasping screech.
"I was trying to but it was starting to bring me down." I reached into my pant pocket and pulled out a pick so she could test out the instrument.
She shook her head at me with her eyes closed.
"Can you play me something?" Both of her bright golden eyes opened and begged my cold cruel stones.
"It's going to depress the heck out of you. All I've been able to play are songs that make you want to kill yourself." I let go of a sigh and let my head lean onto her burning head.
"I just can't stop thinking about Bonni." I whispered softly to myself.
Once the words left the safety behind my teeth I realized that this information was supposed to stay in my head.
"Bonni? Like PB, that Bonni?" When I looked down at her all I could see were her golden eyes locked on me; her mouth was left wide open.
"PB? I've never heard that nickname before."
"Finn was the mastermind behind that one. I'm guessing the 'P' stands for President." She shrugged her shoulders, "But who knows."
Well I guess I don't have to lie about it since we aren't together anymore.
My heavy head gave a weak nod and she continued to stare at me. There was a different expression on her face this time.
"…What?" I wondered.
"I'm sorry that she's the one that broke your heart. I liked her, she was actually pretty cool; she even trusted me enough to play with fire." Her little smile faded away and I could see she felt a little bad for me.
I didn't take the pity lightly.
My stomach began to churn in pain and I wanted to divert the conversation to something else, "Yeah there's no way I would've been anywhere near that lab if I knew you had a Bunsen burner near you."
I gave out a pathetic chuckle but Ember didn't buy it.
She handed me my acoustic and urge for me to play. The way she communicated to me without words made a strong impact on me. If someone had verbally asked me to play again I would have said no but when she did this it made more sense.
"You can't tell me to stop being so stubborn and to let my feelings consume me when you don't even want to do something you love just because it makes you feel too sad. You should really practice what you preach. " She slid the neck of the guitar under my hands and she nudged me with her shoulder.
Damn, she's good.
I reached over to take the bulky stringed instrument from her lap and it hugged against my body before I let out a sigh.
"Alright but don't complain that it's too depressing."
Em sunk into the couch and I felt a small presence of stage fright flood over me. I could feel a cold chill run down my body; it numbed my sense of fear and touch.
The tiny pick strummed out the beginning melody before I let myself sing. I wanted to close my eyes and loose myself in the music but seeing Em's face match the emotions I played made my blood rush. Her reactions were all I needed to see; she could understand the pain when I sang. To me, that's a musician's greatest accomplishment.
My guitar sang one last chord before I placed my hand over the steel strings to mute the long droning ring.
"Geez, and I'm not allowed to complain?" Her eyes rolled away before she leaned her head on my shoulder.
I shook my head, "I don't want to hear a word about it."
She pushed my shoulder playfully and came in for another hug. This time I was able to hug her back.
"Are you always running a fever?" I pulled away; the heat from her body was starting to make me feel hot.
"Are you complaining that I'm too hot? You're the one that's too cold." Em grabbed my hands and the extreme difference in body temperature made us pull back instantly.
We couldn't hold back the laughter. It felt like we couldn't touch each other directly without one of us feeling a little shock from our contrasting temperatures.
"You ready to teach me how to start a fire?"
"Marceline, I don't want to go out in the snow. I hate it." She gave out a groan and let her head fall back on the top of the sofa.
"Dude, you can call me Marci you know." I sprang up to me feet and waited for her to follow me, "Please? You get to show me how to create fire." My arms were pulled up to my chest and I tried my best to show her my excitement.
The bribe must have work because she eventually stood up and quietly put on the many layers she peeled off earlier. Her scarf was tucked into her coat and she pulled her hood over her dark red hair.
"I have no idea why I'm doing this." Ember grumbled with the orange scarf covering her mouth.
"Because you love how mysterious I am. Now come on!" I pulled on her gloved hands and leaned towards the door like a child dying to go outside and play.
She stopped before I opened the door, "At least put on a coat."
"Ugh, okay mom."
I could see this made her mad; she was already red at the cheeks and her eyebrows clashed together.
"Sorry," I pulled on the black coat from earlier, "I'm just excited."
We walked out and Ember hesitated before she stepped into the thin sheet of snow that hid away the ground. My old all-terrain boots made defined footprints as I marched away embracing the icy cold crunch under me.
I continued into the backyard where the forest began and Em stayed a few steps behind hating every second of our shenanigans.
There was a pile of firewood and branches huddled together on the side of a wooden shed.
"Hey! I found some wood over here." I waved her over and she looked down at the collection of lumber in disappointment.
"These aren't going to work." Her head shook lightly, "they won't ignite if they're all wet."
"But…" I looked around at the wintery wonderland, "everything's wet!" My attention was turned back to my side where Em was standing, except she was gone.
A few yards away I found her reaching for a branch that was well over her head. I walked over to her and lowered the branch so it wasn't so far away.
"I could've gotten that myself you know." She grabbed the stick in her gloved hands and easily pushed back the wet bark.
"Yeah, maybe with some stilts." My hand let go of the branch and the recoil made the sitting snow on the tree plummet over our heads.
"YOU JERK!" Ember yelled and dropped the stick to grab a handful of snow underneath her. I was about to make my getaway but got caught by a hidden root blanketed by the snow.
I fell on my side and Ember laughed at my failed escape.
She threw a couple of snowballs at me before I could push myself up to my feet and fight back. The small snow fight wore us out. Our visible clouds of breath filled the air around us as we tried to compose ourselves. I couldn't help but laugh at the two of us; that was the most fun I had in a while.
"Haha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen." I brushed off the powdery ice crystals off my hair and gave her a smile hoping she would forgive me.
"Yeah, sure." She dusted the snow off her coat and moved the orange scarf back up over her nose.
I was able to creep behind her while she bent over to wipe off the snow from her jeans. When she got up I decided to speak into her ear quietly. "Don't you trust me?"
She jumped up in fright and turned to face me; once again her cheeks were filled with her boiling blood as she pulled down the scarf, "I trust you way too much."
Woah.
We stood only inches apart; she was looking at me with slight frustration and I looked back with a laid-back smirk.
Just like before she walked over to a tree and tried to reach for some braches. This time she asked for help, "Mind giving me a hand?
I pulled down the branch and made sure we were out of the way when I let go. She collected a small bundle of branches in her hand and she began measuring the snow's depth with the tip of her boots.
Ember handed me the small pile, "Rub off the bark, I'll get started on the hole." She sat on the back of her heels and push away the dirt stained ice.
Once the hole and sticks were ready I tossed in the braches and she adjusted them so they didn't touch the wet floor. Em pulled out what looked like two keys tethered together with a think black string. She motioned for me to squat next to her; so I did.
"This is called flint steel, it will spark in any temperature." Her hands gave up the 3 inch steel rod and flat strip of metal. I examined the interesting tool before I handed it back. "The by the shed have already soaked up too much moister, not just from the snow but also from the wet forest floor. That's why we can't use them. However the one's up on the trees have fresh bark that can protect them through a blizzard."
She rubbed the scrap of metal against the charcoal colored rod and it left behind a giant trail of sparks. The wood remained unlit. Ember stood up to feel the direction of the wind and once she caught it she squatted back down with her back facing the mild gust.
The metal rubbed together once more and this time the wood took to the fire.
I have never seen anything like this, it was really amazing to see her create this dangerous element; regardless of the fact that she seemed to be afraid of things that remained unknown to her.
My eyes looked over the flames to see the satisfied smile on Ember's face. The deep orange glow of the fire made her look stunning.
A small blush rose in my cheeks when she looked back at me with her yellow eyes, "Let's go inside, I'm all wet and cold."
"Yeah, me too."
We tossed a few handfuls of snow over our burning creation and left it behind as we went back into the house. There was a trail of water dripping behind us when we walked across the hardwood floor. Even our clothes under the protective outwear were drenched.
I could see the miserable look on Ember face as she realized everything had gotten wet, "UGH, this is why I hate winter." Her little temper made her throw down the soggy scarf in the empty kitchen sink.
"Relax, give me your clothes and I'll toss them in the wash." It was my fault anyways.
"Can I jump in the shower? I feel like I'm going to freeze to death." Her lips trembled a little as her teeth clattered together.
I'm not going to lie; it was a sad sight to see, "Yeah, the bathroom's down the hall and it's the first door to the left.
Em disappeared to the bathroom and returned with a towel wrapped around her body; the wet clothes were in her hands but I honestly didn't notice anything else but her.
Stop doing this to me brain, I'm already in a mess because of you.
My head pushed pass the unwanted desire and I took her clothes.
"What about you? You're going to catch something crazy if you don't warm up." She put a finger on my lips before she looked up at me, "Your lips are blue."
Her touch paralyzed me, "There's only one bathroom. I can wait until your done."
Her eyebrow lifted, "Are you sure?"
I nodded and walked away with the clothes.
The sounds of the water filling the laundry machine entered my ears as I prepared the wash. I closed the lid and reentered the cabin.
There was some singing coming from the bathroom; I smiled as I heard Ember singing such a happy tune. I continued walking pass the restroom and went into my room to pull out a box I found full of movies. Before I went out I changed into some sweatpants and a loose fitting black shirt.
I set the box on the coffee table in front of the couch and started pulling out the cases.
Where are all the horror films?
Suddenly a recognizable cover emerged from the sea of movies.
"Heat Signature?" I turned around to the soft voice and found Ember back in nothing but a bath towel again.
"Wanna watch?"
"Yeah, but can I borrow some clothes?" Her burgundy hair lay damp against her head and her golden eyes looked dull from the subtle lighting in the living room.
I went to my room and pulled together some clothes for her; she thanked me and got dressed in the bathroom. When she got out my lengthy clothes made her look shorter then she already was. Seeing her like this made me smile and again she could tell it was because of her.
"Don't mock me" She giggled and sat on the corner of the couch where a blanket was waiting anxiously for her. As we waited for the movie to start I sat on the opposite corner of the couch. My left arm rested on the side while my right one was placed on the top of the couch.
While the movie progressed I could see Em fidgeting in her seat, her eyes where halfway hidden under the blanket and her legs were no longer dangling off the couch.
"Are you scared?"
I think my tone was too insensitive because she shot right back at me. "NO."
Right as she snapped back an unexpected scene came up; a bloody face covered most of our TV screen along with a shrill cry that even made me jump up a little. Em pressed herself against my ribs and kept the blanket over her face.
My first reaction was to laugh but that feeling was quickly shot down. This reminded me of the first day I met Bonnibel and the thunder had scared her into my arms.
Bonni's pretty face came into mind and I could feel my heart start to ache. I allowed my chest to release the strained sigh that suffocated my breathing.
It was loud enough that it made Ember look up at me, "Are you okay? You know this movie really isn't a tear jerker." Her hand covered her peripherals so she couldn't see the screen.
That made me laugh, "Ha, no it's not that. I just… I keep thinking about her." I slumped my cheek into my left hand and kept my daze on the movie.
Ember wrapped her warm arms around me, put her head on my chest and finally moved her attention to the television. My arms held her tightly as I allowed my new friend to soothe me with her embrace.
Feeling the heat rushing from her body made me feel all warm and sleepy. I gave out a yawn and it automatically triggered one out of Ember's mouth. The movie came to a stop and I turned off the television before the white noise could blare into our ears.
"Come on, let's get some sleep"
I nudged her with my hands and she groaned softly. "Marci?"
That was the first time she had called me that; I couldn't stop the smile, "Yeah?"
"I wish I could help you with, well you know, dating and stuff. It's just hard because I've never gone through that. I wish I could help you but I just can't" Em's voice sounded a little horse, and she kept her head buried in my side.
"You help a lot more then you think you do, trust me."
.
Em's POV
Tiny blades of thin yellow green grass began to poke through the remaining slush of the season; it was pretty obvious that spring was already here.
I admired the scenery from my dorm room as I waited for my unpredictable friend to show up and steal me from my little prison. She was taking music lessons from one of the teachers here so I got to see her more often.
Marceline grew on me, she taught me to stop being so defensive whenever she wanted to help me and I did my best to distract her from being so miserable.
A few days ago I had her spill out everything that happened on Homecoming since all I knew about it was that she kicked the crap out of some guy. She explained to me that the guy was her ex boyfriend and the ass kicking was the result of him breaking her favorite bass. Marci hesitated but she eventually broke down and told me about how she truly felt about Bonnibel.
There was a knock at my door that pulled me away from that very long and saddening discussion with her.
When I opened my door Marci was at the other end with the black acoustic guitar in her hand. This was her first time seeing the inside of my shared bedroom.
"Hey Marci." I walked out and quickly closed the door; I wanted to leave before my roommate noticed she was here.
Yesterday I had to ask her to come to my dorm room because whenever we agreed to meet in the school's plaza she was constantly being approached by guys and girls that were interested in my mysterious older friend. Just last night I found out my roommate had a crush on her so I got a little protective.
I pushed aside the minor amount of jealousy and let myself feel glad to see her.
"Hey, ready to go?" She asked rather impatiently.
"What's the rush? Too many hotties on your trail?" I loved being so playful with her, we shared a strange sense of humor and it never seemed to bother us.
"No, but I really need your help." She looked at me with a very serious look on her face.
She needed my help?
"Well actually I need your help with two things." Marci's head tilted a little and she gave me a half smile. She was trying to hide something.
We walked to her car and she grabbed hold of my hand before I could pull open the door. The cold touch against my burning hands will always haunt me; the temperature of her hands had to be abnormal. I could feel my blood rushing up to my cheeks but it wasn't from anger.
"What's wrong?" She tugged lightly on my fingers as I continued looking at the door handle.
I was disorientated from her holding my hand, "Huh?"
She let go and leaned her guitar against the side of her car, "You didn't even give me a hug, that's not natural, even for you. You're always up in my biz." Her arms sat cross-crossed on her chest as she mimicked her acoustic and let one foot slide up against the car.
There was a small pause were I couldn't even look directly at her, I wanted to tell her, but instead I held it back and went into her arms. It was an awkward cuddle to say the least; she barely gave any effort to return my unusual hold.
We pulled away and entered the car; it was a very quiet drive to her grandparent's house from my school. When we arrived she came around to my side and opened the red door for me.
Ugh, why is she so nice to me.
I followed behind her as she entered the 2-car garage on the side of the cabin. The only light inside the building came from a couple of light bulbs that were placed on the opposite ends of the ceiling, Marci bent down near the large aluminum door and push it up about three feet off the ground.
The light happily rushed in and revealed a detached royal blue drum set.
"Still willing to help?" Her voice came from behind my neck and it sent a warm rush down my body.
"Yeah, but I don't know squat about drums." I turned to face her blushed cheeks and she immediately put her eyes down to the floor; something was definitely going on.
"I figured, but I what I really need help on are these." Marceline held up two-dozen envelopes in her hand. I didn't notice she was holding anything until she handed them all to me.
I pulled off the rubber band that held the bunch together and read the each cover carefully.
They were all from Bonnibel.
My eyes looked up to see that Marci had taken a seat on an old futon that was pushed against the sidewall; her face was buried in her hands and she gave out a few sighs.
"She's been sending one every week, but I've refused to open them." It was a little muffled but I was able to make out the words.
There was a mixture of anger and jealously steaming from my heart. In some weird way I felt hurt that she never bothered to tell me about these. I thought she was out of the picture by now since Marceline stopped mentioning her after winter break.
Why is she asking me for help now?
"Marci, I don't know how I can help." There was an obvious hint of rage behind my voice; this made her look up at me.
Her eyes were puffy and she looked so helpless. When she finally spoke her voice trembled a little, "Burn them. I want nothing to do with them." The look on her face made me feel awful for my inconsiderateness.
"Are you sur…"
"I'm tired of crying every fucking night. I'm sick of feeling like this was all my fault." She stood up and closed her hands into tight fists, "I don't want to think or hear about her. I'm exhausted…" she came closer to me, "…and I just can't take it any more." The last word was broken with her crying.
I have never seen someone cry that many tears in my whole life. A few of them rolled off her cheeks and onto the cards in my hand; they smudged away at some of the neat black cursive writing.
My hands let go of the envelopes and it brought up a cloud of dust when they hit the floor. I placed myself directly under her and pushed myself up with the tips of my toes.
Out lips met, and just like when our hands touched, we had to pull away from the temperature shock. My breathing was all over the place; there was too much excitement and a small trace of anxiety.
Marceline gave me a very surprising tone; she growled at me, "Don't ever do that again." She bent down to pick up the cards and they were pushed back into my hands.
I hung down my head, I felt so stupid for putting myself out there like that. My heart didn't desire the affection from girls; it just longed to feel it from her. A cold finger brought my head up to look back at the pretty girl with grey eyes.
"I like you…" She paused to give out a sigh, "But I like you for all the wrong reasons."
She likes me?
"I don't want to hurt you but most importantly I don't want to lose you." She wrapped her long limbs around my body, "You're my prefect distraction, and it's completely unfair to you. I feel like I'm using you."
Marceline closed her eyes and tightened her hold on me. Hearing her talk badly about herself made me furious because she wasn't the horrible monster that other's made her think she's become. She was nothing more then a hurt human being fighting for survival in this cruel uninviting world. My heart was beating so fast I could feel the pulse throughout my body.
"Hurt me all you want, I don't care, cause I'm not leaving." My head was on her shoulder facing away from her. I didn't want her to let go; her hold always made me feel safe.
Marci pushed me off with her hands on my shoulders, "Don't say that." Her eyes were still watery from all the wasted tears on her lost love.
This time I couldn't hold back my anger, "Stop telling me what to do!" I fought back and pushed her arms off me while taking a step back.
She kept her stance and was a little taken back from my furry.
"I'm not going anywhere. If you just want to use me as some pitiful little excuse for forgetting your pain then fine. Don't you think I've had a hard time pushing Finn out of my heart? I need you just like you need me. I'm never going to see him again, just like you're never going to see her again" The sound of my panting was the only notable noise we could hear in the old dusty garage.
I began to shake; in sadness, anger, maybe even in fear.
This time I started to release the tears I fought so hard to hold back. My eyes closed tightly as I let my hair cover my face in embarrassment.
I felt a cold sensation through my shirt; Marci put one hand on my side while she used the other to wrap around my neck. It was a feeling I didn't enjoy but it was soon canceled out by way she began to touch me seductively.
She lowered her head so our lips could meet again. My eyes quickly opened and saw that hers were safely closed. I copied her and she brought both her hands to my face. It was gentle yet powerful; my hands were left dangling to my side and I had to go back on my tiptoes to reach her welcoming kiss.
For a small second I thought I was floating above the ground with only her hands keeping me up.
Marceline slowly pulled away and gave way to a shaky sigh, "I'm sorry, but it can never be more then this. You're my friend and she'll always be my love."
"It's okay," there wasn't any disappointment in me, "just don't stop this." I went back for another taste of her plump icy lips. This time she returned it without any tears; she pulled me in at the hips and again I was lost in her strong hold.
She'll never love me but I think we both needed to feel something else rather then isolation and fear.
.
Marci's POV
I dragged the thin sheet of metal on the flint steel and it gave a few inadequate sparks. It ran up a second time and back down for a third time; nothing happened.
"Marci, it's paper, it should light instantly." Ember sat on a small boulder behind me monitoring my every move.
"Get off my back, I got this." I went in for my fourth time and failed. Em roared in laughter.
"Hey this is harder then it looks."
"You're just a weakling," She giggled away; her eyes looked into mine as she scrunched her nose at me.
"Oh yeah?" My hand dropped the tiny rod and leaned behind me to press my forehead against hers. "Who's weak now?"
"It's still you" She grabbed on to the collar of my grey button down shirt and pulled me down to the wet grass with her. I put my hands out in front of me to break most of my fall so my weight wouldn't crush her small body.
Small bits of rocks and dirt jabbed into my palm and I cringed at the slight sting.
"Are you okay?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and placed her golden eye on my lips.
Why aren't you jumping all over this perfect situation? You deserve to be happy too.
I inhaled deeply as I pushed away a lock of her hair that was blocking my great view of her cute face. "I am now." My lips pressed against the hot surface of her neck; Em's tense body melted under me as grazed over the area with my tongue.
She gave out a small moan that drove me insane.
My teeth sunk into the aroused skin on her neck and this time she moaned louder. "Mm-Marci."
This time they dug in a little deeper; I was dying to hear her say my name louder. My hands landed on her thighs as I pushed myself closer to her body; the feeling of her warm embrace captivated me.
"…Marceline?"
I froze in my actions.
That was not the voice I wanted to hear.