Page 75 of Meet Cute

“I love it." The words are almost foreign as they leave my lips. The bell jingles, which can only mean one thing: I’m really his. I’m completely and utterly his. There’s this vague feeling of forget lingering in the back of my head, but it’s a blurry memory I can’t quite make clear. “T-Thank you, Finn.”

Finn’s touch is gentle as his hands return back to my lap, grabbing hold of my own while he idly kisses my head. “It looks really cute on you. You’re so adorable, Dunk.”

I open my mouth to reply, but heavy knocking at the door interrupts me. Finn and I stare at each other for a moment, before he delicately pushes me off of him. The knocks continue, getting louder and more forceful.

“Stay put, okay?” Finn rises to his feet, glancing back at me and then at the door. Without another word he kisses my cheek and ruffles my hair. He’s giving me all his trust. I already fucked that up once, I won’t do it again.

His footsteps retreat down the hall. The lock twists and the door opens, and for a moment time comes to a standstill. Today’s snowstorm is fierce, with howling winds and gray clouds.

“We’re sorry to bother you today, but have you seen—” a deep voiced man asks with an edge of authority, followed by the sound of rustling and a fwip of paper being pulled out from somewhere. “—this man? We have reason to believe you may know him. His name is Duncan. Duncan Armette?”

Memories of Thanksgiving flash in my head. Their faces. The drive home. The way life seemed no better than an airplane meeting its fiery end. Finn replies with something I know isn’t true, but I pay it no mind. Reaching for the remote, I turn on the TV on—skipping a news report with a picture of my face to find something lighter to watch.

Grabbing the wool blanket off the couch’s back, I drape it over myself and get nice and snug. Finn will be back any minute, since he’s doing a damn good job persuading the cops into believing he doesn’t know what happened to me.

Today is gonna be such a good day.

I wonder what we’ll do? Hot chocolate by the fireplace…? A Christmas movie marathon? Maybe, if I’m really good, we can go drive around houses to look at Christmas lights. That was one of my favorite things to do as a kid.

If not today, maybe tomorrow? Or the day after that, or the day after that… Or maybe even next year. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m okay with waiting. As long as we’re together, nothing really matters to me. We’ve got all the time in the world. Just him and I for the rest of our lives.

The front door closes, slow footsteps approaching. My stomach sinks not out of fear, but out of excitement. We’re really going to be together forever, aren’t we? What could be better than that?

I really don’t know why I ever wanted to leave.

EPILOGUE

FINNEAS

7 months later

Cute, cute, cute. My bunny is so cute while he sleeps. From the way his nose twitches to the way his fingers curl around my sleeve. He’s so cute. So perfect. So mine. I could spend hours just watching him interact with the world around him.

But then that means I’d have to share.

I wish life was always like this. Even though it was only last night, it feels so far away. Watching him through a screen isn’t enough. It’s never enough, not even when he’s on the couch awake and waiting for me.

Maybe he forgot when I told him I had cameras set up around the house. When he slipped out that day, I noticed. Of course I noticed. But what was he going to do? My sweet Duncan isn’t one for thinking. He acts first, and lives with the consequences later. It’s what led him to me in the first place.

No one is sweeter than he is. He had no reason to defend me that night, but he did. He had no reason to become my friend, but he did. Truthfully, Duncan is too sweet for his own good. What if someone bad had gotten ahold of him first?

His friends and family have been useless. The search ended a little after January, and to the rest of the world my little bunny is as good as dead. How could they give up on him so easily? It’s their loss. It’s truly their loss.

Duncan is lazing about on the couch with nothing on but the cutest pair of blue shorts, a white tank top and the hairclip I gave him on one of our dates. His summer tan is my favorite, especially since I’m the only person on the planet who gets to see where the tan disappears.

The little white pill in front of me crushes easily against the back of my metal spoon before finding its home in Duncan’s iced tea. My bunny listens so well, even before I decided to do a little bit of extra work to make him more agreeable.

I’d sooner slit my own throat than ever lose him. That wheelchair was a mistake. I gave him a taste of freedom and he got too bold. It was my mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.

“Here, bunny.” I set the glass down on the coffee table, smiling warmly at him. Like the lovesick puppy he is, Duncan leans in for a needy kiss. Of course I give it to him. How could I ever deny him? “Drink up quick before it gets warm, okay?”

“Okay,” he nods with a dopey smile. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” A kiss on his forehead makes him shudder. My eyes rake across his body, admiring my marks of devotion. Bite marks, hickeys, bruises around his wrists since he loves being held down. It’s all so perfect. He’s so perfect. “You want anything else?”

Duncan shakes his head, tugging at my shirt in an attempt to make me cuddle with him. He’s watching one of those stupid romance movies he loves so much. “Stay?”

“Let me go change,” I give him another quick peck for good measure. “Promise I’ll be right back.”