Red_Roses_and_Black_Dahlias_-_Macy_T

10
TEMPTATION
SOFIA
You know that moment right before you wake up? When you’re still not
fully out of the realm of dreams yet not into the real world either? Yeah, that
moment. That moment was always when I felt more at peace.
I could pretend my parents were still here, could pretend mama and I
were making enchiladas in the kitchen while papa and Valentina were
laughing in the living room. I could pretend Maddox would come by and eat
dinner with us, talking soccer with papa and complimenting mama’s cooking.
I could pretend I was majoring in art history like I’d always wanted and not
fucking political science like dad wanted me to. I could pretend I had
someone other than my sister to count on, to care for, and to love.
What I loved most about that moment between fantasy and reality, was
that anything could happen, my past mixed with both my future and my
dreams, giving me something I could never have but yearned for so deeply I
could feel it in my soul.
Slowly coming to my senses, I felt something soft brush my stomach
underneath my shirt. It felt good and warm, like a heating pad made of velvet.
A low moan came out of me before I could do anything about it. My body
was so relaxed, for the first time in forever. It was so warm under the thick
covers as rays of sunshine seeped through the window and crashed directly
on my face. Burrowing my head in the pillow beneath me, the scent of cedar
wood assaulted my nostrils and I inhaled it like an addict.
That scent. It was familiar.
Just as I was trying to recall where I knew it from, the covers moved, a
groan coming from behind me. I froze, dread pitting in my stomach, not
daring to open my eyes as I could feel the panic seep into me for a second.