Page 107 of Dirty Like Us

“Sorry,” he chokes out. “Fuck… I’m rolling…” His tongue is heavy. His pupils are blasted open, the ceiling light so bright in his face hewinces.

“No shit,” Blaze mutters. “Let’s take a fuckingwalk.”

The corridors are a blur. He can’t walkright.

The next thing he can comprehend, he’s lying face-down on a bed. He’s alone. It’s his own bed, in his own cube. He can tell by themess.

He falls asleep. Hewakes.

He sleepsagain.

Over andover…

Somewhere in the endless night, he imagines messaging her.Her. Typing a com to her on his tablet. Can practically feel the smooth glass of the screen beneath hisfingertips.

Icanstillfeelyourheartbeatagainstmyskin

He stares at the words on the screen, blinking. The neat line of tidy, glowing letters jitters and throbs, blurringtogether.

Real?

He blinks again. The tablet weighs heavily in his hand. He can’t remember falling asleep or waking again. Can’t tell if this is a dream.I always will, he types, then blinks, trying to clear hisvision.

IalwayswillIalwayswillIalwayswill

His thumb hovers over the glowing dot—SEND—that will send the message with a singleswipe.

Then he types:You’re all I ever dreamabout

He stares at the words, but they vibrate and blur until he can no longer understandthem.

He drops the tablet and puts his head in his hands. Takes a shaky breath, so deep his ribs hurt; the lingering damage from his last fight. He lies back on the bed and stares at the amber light recessed into the low ceiling above his head, just letting it burn… until a blurred fringe of light at his peripheral vision makes him shut his eyes,dizzy.

In the darkness, angry stars explode. A kaleidoscope of colors spins in on itself, a giant light-dragon eating its own tail, around andaround…

There are so many things I shouldsay

that I should havesaid

but it all comes down toone

Tablet in hand again, his fingers shake as he taps out thewords.

Next time I see you, you’remine.

You’remineyou’remineyou’remine

He closes his eyes against the blur. Doesn’t even know if it’s allgibberish.

He sends itanyway.

Then he collapses on the bed, thinking ofher.

Lana.

He’s still tripping, hard, the Zag coming on in a black wave, leveling everything in its path. He’s got his cock in his hand, hard… then soft. He jerks himself off, tries, but he’s still too high to get there. He can never get to her anyway. She’s too faraway.

It’s always likethis.