“You have to get up! I need you”

He threw the blanket aside, revealing that, in fact, he wasn’t completely naked. He wore flannel pajama bottoms. “What is it?” He came to his feet. “Are you okay?”

“I…” I could only stare. My memories of how he looked shirtless hadn’t been burned in my mind like I had thought. I had missed little detailsthe line running down his stomach, the muscles that popped near his hips.

“Ember, are you all right?”

“Yeah.” I closed my eyes and turned around. “I have to show you something.”

“Show me something? Ember, it’s almost morning. Can’t it wait?”

His lack of interest stung, but I persisted. “No. Just come on. Then you can go back to bed. Okay?”

Hayden muttered something as he grabbed a shirt off the floor and tugged it over his head. Silently, he followed me back to my bedroom. I shut the door behind us and led him to the other side of the bed.

“You wanted to show me your bedroom floor?”

I exhaled slowly. “No. I wanted to show you this.” Without looking at him, I sat down and pulled the plant into my lap. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Ember, why are there a bunch of dead…” Realization dawned across his expression, and in that pause, he looked saddisappointed. Not what I expected.

“Hayden?”

“I haven’t been working with you,” he said.

“I know, but”

“You’ve kept up on it.”

“Well, not until recently.”

“Em, I’m sorry. I’ve let my own problemsmy own mixed-up feelingsget in the way.”

I stared at him, growing impatient. “Hayden, it’s okay. All is forgiven, but can you just look”

“It’s not okay.” He dropped his arms over his bent knees. “You’ve been at this all alone and why? Because of… well, whatever.”

“Hayden.” I leaned forward and wrapped my hand around the closest thing I could reachhis calf. He stiffened, but didn’t move, although I think his body gave off more heat than normal. “It’s not your responsibility to fix me. I’m not your science fair project. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

“Em, I don’t think of you as an experiment. I don’t think of you like that at all.”

I wondered how he did think of me. “Okay, fine. But can you just watch me for a second? I have something I want to show you.”

Hayden nodded.

I let go of his leg and closed my eyes. Concentrating with him in the room proved harder than I’d thought. When I felt sure I had that “I have control” mantra on repeat, I cupped the slender stem and ran my hand up it.

Hayden’s startled gasp caused my eyes to flutter open. The snakelike plant remained whole and healthy.