Swallow Me Whole novel · Chapter 24 of 24

Chapter 24: Swallow Me Whole

"You found it," Ashton said from the bed.

He lay on his side with his head propped on his hand, his hair wild, his eyes warm and wary in the lamplight.

I held the napkin against my chest.

"I wasn't snooping."

"I know."

"I was looking for water."

"I know, baby."

"Rule seven."

"Yes."

"When did you write it?"

He rubbed his face with his free hand.

"The night of the storm."

"After you fell asleep."

"I sat in the kitchen and looked at the napkin."

"I thought, I need to ask her to stay, and I'm too much of a coward."

"So I wrote it down."

"To keep myself honest."

"And you rubbed it out."

"I rubbed it out when I ended the lessons. I thought I'd lost the right."

"And you kept the napkin."

"I couldn't throw it away. I've tried. Twice."

I laughed, and it came out wet.

I crossed the room to the nightstand, and I found the carpenter's pencil in the drawer.

I stood there in his flannel with the napkin flat on the wood.

I drew one line through rule six.

IT ENDS AUGUST 31.

I pressed so hard that the paper tore.

Then I wrote beside it, in my small neat handwriting, the same hand that had written the date.

IT DOESN'T.

"Ask me," I said.

He sat up.

"Sade."

"The seventh rule. Ask me."

He got out of the bed, naked.

Stood in front of me, six foot three of man with his hands hanging open at his sides.

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