AVALINE

"Darn, confident," he said.

"Or maybe you can only tease?" I provoked him more. "Afraid you'll underperform?"

"You're really asking for it."

"We have all our lives."

The smile on our faces simultaneously faded. I looked away and cleared my throat. I got off him and lay down on the bed beside him. I turned away and covered my face. I silently beat myself up.

Temporary. Temporary. Temporary.

I kept chanting the words and willed myself to toughen up. And I waited for the pain to stab me. ...