Page 53 of Sunset Catchers
I wince, holding my groan. Shit, I’m such a klutz.
His chuckling filters through my door.
“Goodnight, Win. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The stairs creak under his retreating steps. The back of my head meets the door with a soft thud. I count to twenty until I decide he probably made it back to his own cottage without any trouble. I stay there counting some more until my heart settles down.
Sunset Hour
“What are your tattoos for? The ones on your knees?”
Levi puts his bookmark between the pages of the sci-fi story he is reading.
“They are my siblings’ years of birth.”
“Wow. Okay.”
“Wow, okay, what?”
“I don’t know. Do you love them enough to have their years of birth tattooed on your body?”
“I mean, yeah. I would die for them.”
“Right.”
“Isn’t there someone you’d die for?”
“Probably my best friend, yes. But I don’t need to get her date of birth tattooed on me to prove it.”
“It wasn’t to prove anything.”
“Do they have your date of birth tattooed on their bodies?”
“No.”
A single ah! is wrenched out of me. Levi’s eyes narrow to slits.
“Why is that funny?”
“It’s just —. You know what, never mind. That is a very sweet gesture.”
“It’s just what?”
“Nothing!”
“Say what you want to say, Winnie.”
“It’s just, it’s giving such middle child vibes.”
“This again? Okay. Yeah. Whatever.”
He’s properly pissed off. He’s getting up from the swing.
“Aww, don’t be this way. I was just joking.”
“Sure, you were.”
“Levi, come on. Don’t go.”
