The Peace Offering

THIRTY

Maxine

The pain on the left side of my face began to feel numb as my crew and I continued downing our alcohols later that night. We partied until six in the morning and got ourselves home in an Uber. I had invited River to come back to my apartment and we knocked out on my bed as soon as we were done changing into some comfy pajamas.

I woke up in River's arms, my head on her chest and our legs tangled together. My heart fluttered in excitement knowing that I was cuddled to sleep by the girl I was crazy about. I shifted carefully in her embrace, but it woke her anyway.

"Good morning," River said, her voice coarse from sleep. I certainly found that hot. "How was your sleep?"

"It was the best sleep ever," I whispered back, biting my lower lip to contain the huge smile that was fighting its way out. I was acting like a gross lovesick puppy. "You hungry? 'Cause I'm the mood to make you the best brunch you'll ever have."

River reached out and played with the top of my hair. She cleared her throat. "Maxine Madeline Hoffman, will you be my girlfriend? I mean, I didn't really ask you last night. It's like I just claimed you like you were some kind of property. I didn't mean it that way. I do want your consent in this. You have a say in it too."

"And I say yes," I couldn't hold back the smile anymore. "I will be your girlfriend, River Davina Milton."

River smiled too. "I don't know how you found out about my middle name, but okay. What matters most is that you said yes. And you're officially my girlfriend now."

"So we don't have to play the lipstick game anymore for you to kiss me?" My smile turned into a smirk, before I pushed myself up and straddled her waist. The soft look in River's eyes turned lustful as she visually inspected my body, her right hand slowly travelling up my abdomen from under my tank top. My smirk grew wider and she abruptly pulled my closer to her by my hair.

"I've been wanting to kiss you for so long," she whispered, her warm breath brushing lightly against my face. We were only inches away from each other. River had her fingers tangled in my hair as I supported myself up with my palms.

"Me too," I admitted, before my lips landed on hers. It started as a gentle kiss but gradually grew into a wild and passionate one. We kissed like that for a while and I felt River smiling in between kisses too, which made me feel a million times happier than I already was about finally kissing the girl.

River's breath hitched and she let out a muffled moan when my lips grazed her neck. A victorious smile spread across my lips and I leaned in to kiss her neck more. I slowly trailed my kisses up her neck and to her right ear. River started to squirm underneath me.

"I love you, Max," she cooed. "I'm in love with you."

"I'm in love with you too," I whispered into her ear.

River turned to face me and our eyes met. Her eyes widened in horror it shocked me too. "Max, what's wrong with you? Your face..."

"Huh?" I snapped out of my shock and sat back up, touching my face frantically but couldn't feel a single thing. Yes, that was it. That was what was wrong with my face, I couldn't feel it. I glanced down at my hands.

They were pale again. With the blue streaks of veins out to play. The fine blue lines stretched across my forearms and they went familiarly numb again. Soon I felt a familiar sting in my heart, like a sharp object just went right through it. The difference this time round was that the 'stabs' did not stop. They were recurring stabs, so was the recurring sharp pain in my chest.

I shifted my gaze to River, who was horrified at the sight in front of her she didn't even dare move a muscle. I rammed my fist into the wall above her head, desperate to feel my hand again. When I refused to stop punching the wall, River yanked my hand down and pulled me into her arms. When she had me in her embrace I couldn't feel her body against mine.

But I could hear her finally sobbing. And then calling out for help. Before I felt one last stab to my heart and my vision blackened.