JENNIE

Lisa's voice sounded so broken over the phone, and it only took seconds for me to slide on my shoes.

When I made it to her house, she didn't say a word. She pressed her lips hard against mine, kissing me deep, kissing me long, kissing me as though she hadn't yet kissed me before.

She pulled my shirt over my head, and with one snap of her fingers, she had my bra unhooked. Our bodies tangled together, and as she moved on top of me and slid in, I almost cried out from the way she took over my body. Each thrust felt like a broken part of her soul intermixing with mine. She was low that afternoon, yet I welcomed the feeling. The truth was, it wasn't a good day for me either. I needed her to roll inside me, needed it hard, fast, rough, painful…

Her hands wrapped around my wrists, and she pinned my arms over my head as she thrust deeper inside me, making me moan out her name as ecstasy overtook my body. We dripped in sweat and misguided emotions as she lowered herself on top of me and whispered into my ear. "I want you." She sucked my earlobe. "I need you." She slid in deeper and pulled out slowly. "I want you." she repeated as she slammed into me, making me gasp for air. "I need you."

My hips arched up, begging for more, and more, knowing it would never be enough.

The way we used one another was more than just sex, more than just wants or needs…

It was shockingly healing.

Without our bodies against one another, there was a real possibility that both of us would just drown into nothingness.

Our mutual sadness was the only thing keeping us afloat.

It was odd, how two sad people could make one another breathe.

"Are you okay?" I asked, getting dressed as she sat with her hands wrapped around the edge of the mattress.

"I'm always okay," she replied coldly.

I crawled over to her, kissing her shoulder blade. "You can talk to me, you know."

She grimaced and shut her eyes. "I don't talk."

I sighed, sensing the weight of the world on Lisa's shoulders. All I wanted to do was help her with her load, but she was completely against that. She lived in a world where she felt as if she had to carry all her baggage alone.

As I opened my lips to speak once more, Kai walked past the doorway of the bedroom, moving slowly in the direction of the living room.

"He's been limping," Lisa whispered.

"Is he okay?"

She shrugged. "He's old, blind in one eye, and can hardly get around without my help."

"Is that why you carry him throughout town?"

"He loves the park. Even with all his issues, he loves the park."

"I saw you swinging with him one day," I told her. "With Kai in your lap."

She nodded her head and looked down at her hands, which were clasped together. "He's a good boy. I'm just debating how selfish I'm being by keeping him around. He's just…" She took a deep breath and turned to me. I gave her a half frown as she kept talking. "He's all I've got, really."

"Tell me more about him." I climbed into her lap and wrapped my legs around her waist.

Her lips parted, and she cringed as she placed her forehead against mine. "I don't know how to open up to people."

"Well, you don't have to open up to people, just me."

Before she could answer, her cell phone began to ring, and she released a heavy sigh as she moved me from her lap. As she answered the call, I tried my best to give her, her space.

"Hey, Alex, what's up?" she said, then paused. "Are you shitting me? No, it's fine. I'll be right there. No, really, it's fine. All right, bye."

She hung up, and the weight of the world was solidly back on her shoulders. "I gotta get going," she said, gathering her clothes, and tossing them on.

"Is everything okay?" I questioned, standing quickly and wrapping my arms around my body.

"Yeah—well, no. My dad's just a fucking drunk, and is causing a scene down at the shop. I just gotta go handle him."

"Oh, well, do you want me to come with you?"

She shook her head. "No. If he saw you, he'd lose it even more. I'll talk to you later," she told me. "Just close the door on your way out."