Missing You

[Rachel Shale]

Rachel listened, her therapy training kicking in as she did. It wasn’t something she did consciously. She was just listening for anything that might indicate that something was wrong. Cruz said everything was fine. Rachel wasn’t sure he was being honest when he said so.  He referenced Nox, and Rachel didn’t know him well. But she knew he’d slept with her sister and left in the middle of the night. She also knew monsters were real. Emily had once mentioned a vampire.

There was more he wasn’t telling her. Rachel knew that, but she didn’t push. But she was concerned. Fear wasn’t a bad thing. It was a survival mechanism, but Cruz seemed to want it, and that made her scared for him. She had heard of adrenaline junkies - people who did dangerous stuff for the thrill of it, but it was more than that. It was a need. The way Cruz described fear and how he wanted it. It sounded like drug.

Rachel remained silent for awhile. Something inside her gut wrenching. She wasn’t sure what it meant. She wasn’t sure what upset her about what Cruz had said, but she did know she was concerned and she was unable to keep it out of her voice as she said. ”I don’t understand. Why would you want to be afraid like that?@