Stay With Me (2 page)

I’d never find
out what a macaroon tasted like.

See the ocean
and build a sandcastle.

Get a tattoo of
wings on my back. Maybe a piercing too, but probably not. Chances
are I’d chicken out on both.

Make pottery
and ruin some clothes in the process.

Get bruises
from a game of paintball but love every moment of it.

Leave my own
graffiti tag.

Publish some
writing.

Donate
blood.

Get drunk.

Buy pictures in
those old photo booths.

…Learn his
name.

“Come on! You
aren’t going to die. Not today. Not under my watch.”

Falling in love
was ranked number one on the bucket list …the only thing I had time
to scratch off.

Was I giving my
heart away too easily? Was I falling for him just so I could?

Whatever. What
did it matter anyways?

I’m glad it was
him, whoever this beautiful stranger was.

“I can see the
lights, right over there! Look, Logan—they’re here for you! You’re
going to make it.”

I wonder if he
knew he was loved, even if it was for a short while.

I had to show
him. Somehow.

It took
everything to curl my fingers into his. Simple actions cost too
much. I couldn’t tell if I’d done it right or if it happened at
all. Everything was so slippery...

…surreal…
dizzying…

It slowly
drained away, like trying to cup water in your hands only to have
it leak through the gaps bit by bit.

“Logan?
Logan!”

Maybe that was
for the best.

My foolishness
would have frightened him off. Who clings this tightly to someone
they just met? Who could possibly be that lonely?

No—he’d be too
sweet to let that show. He’d probably play along. What was the harm
in leading on a dead boy?

We could both
pretend. To make it easier.

Because of that
he deserved to know.

I had to prove
it –communicate it somehow– before it was too late.

“Damn it!
Please… don’t die. You’re too young for this.”

He deserved to
know what an impact he had on someone’s life. That he actually
meant something to someone, even if they were no one …even if they
became nothing.

He deserved so
much…

“Come on,
Logan! Stay with me!”

He deserved
more than I could ever repay…

More than he
would ever receive…

“Don’t let go.
Please... stay?”

He deserved
more...

He
deserved…

“…L-Logan?”

He
deserved…

He…

ABOUT
THE AUTHOR

Kira Hawke is a
designer and a GLBT writer with a passion for finding art and
beauty in everything. She lives in Ontario Canada with her life
partner and is currently working on a YA fantasy novel.