I felt the needle plunge into my neck. For a moment, I thought I’d been stung by something. I went to swat at whatever bug had stabbed me but could hardly raise my arm. I stumbled forward. The needle fell to the ground. I turned, my vision blurring, my words slurring.

The world went black, curtains dropping over my vision as my legs gave out.

31. Noah Barnes

31

NOAH BARNES

I took my time in the shower, enjoying how the steamy hot water felt against my skin. It was a tiny bathroom, which meant it was easily converted into a sauna. I scrubbed and let myself relax under the showerhead, enjoying how all my limbs felt like wet noodles. Sex with Jake never failed to be explosive, but tonight was an entirely new level. It was the kind of sex reserved for your wildest, steamiest, hottest dreams, shared with someone you connect with beyond just the physical.

And now that our true feelings were out and laid bare, it only made the sex that much more magical. I could fully let go, and I knew that Jake could do the same. It was an exciting stage in our relationship, and I couldn’t wait to see where it took us.

I turned off the shower and reluctantly stepped out onto the plush gray rug, grabbing a thick white towel off the rack and drying off my hair before rubbing the towel over the rest of my body. The mirror was fogged up, so I took a wet hand across it, my handprint dripping at the top of the mirror.

I dried my hair off some more and ran my hand through it so that it didn’t look too wild. I needed to get a haircut soon. With everything going on, I neglected the simple things. Haircut, gym, dentist. All added up on my to-do list, underneath the one major task: figure out how to get Robby to stop.

Tonight wasn’t the night to deal with that. We’d have time tomorrow, once the sun came up and things didn’t feel as hopeless. There was always something about the night that amplified all your worries and anxieties, turning molehills into actively erupting volcanos, and I just didn’t want to put myself through that right now. Instead, I planned on going for round two (and three and four) with Jake.