In Pieces

17 | The Last Piece |

The sun was setting in our garden when Gio and I walked out with drinks in our hands. I led him to the patio and sat next to him on the swinging chair. The pinks, purples, and fluffy clouds above the forest looked like a scene from a movie.

Sunset was always the hottest, most humid hour in our castle in the summer. Everyone would be inside, enjoying the dry air conditioning while I lay here, on this chair, and lazily swung my worries away.

The ice in Gio's water clinked as he pressed the cold glass against his neck and kicked his feet to rock us back and forth.

I dipped my hand into my pocket and started tracing the edges of the contract. The paper crunched subtly. Gio's giggle made me turn my glance from the trees back to him.

"It tickles," he said, trailing the goosebumps on his arms.

I pulled my hand out of my pocket in a flash. "Do you feel it when I touch the contract?"

He giggled again. "Kind of. It's subtle, but yeah. Told you, it's a piece of me."

My face started to burn immediately, remembering where I'd stuffed it in the forest earlier.

Leaving my glass on the coffee table, I cleared my throat to neutralize the awkward tension in the air. "What will happen to your other contracts if you sign this one and become human?"

"I don't have any active contracts—just one, but it's expiring today."

"And would you lose your magic if you became human?"

"I don't know." He wiggled uncomfortably in his seat. "Can we not talk about something that will never happen?"

"Sorry." I bit my lip and tried to tear my gaze away from his quivering ears. I was dying to know if—

"Yeah, my ears would probably turn to normal and stop shaking so much," he said softly and smiled, giving me the side eye.

I chuckled and nodded, letting out a sigh. "It's just marriage... is a failed constitution. Take my mom and dad. I'm sure they loved each other at some point, but look at what happened... One has totally lost it, and the other is banging another woman in his study."

"You are right." Gio shrugged, looking into my widened eyes. "You are too young to think about marriage. But I hope one day, you'll see not all commitments are doomed to fail."

"What is marriage to you?"

He finished his water and left his empty glass next to mine.

"It is spending your days with someone you love and trust—a companion, who will face the happiest and the worst moments with you. A constitution that allows you to share your solitude and takes you out of your shell at the same time... Encourages you to be more, so together you can be invincible, no matter what life throws at you."

"It sounds beautiful," I confessed and rubbed my face as Gio kept rocking our chair. "Still, binding a soul... I mean—would you really die if I died? When you take a fish out of the water, the other fish in the pond won't die, Gio. It shouldn't."

"It will because it won't be able to breathe."

"And if I get hit by a bus—"

"Then the impact will crush my soul."

I stared at him with a wide-open mouth and then shook my head. "It is a big commitment."

"I know."

He smiled and stretched his arm behind me with a grin. After giving it a thought, I accepted his invitation. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his chest. Gio dropped his arm on my shoulder and pulled me closer.

He didn't have a heartbeat, just constant buzzing—which sounded more like a hum now that my ear was against his ribs. I couldn't believe how the only person I'd known with the biggest heart didn't have a heart at all.

"Visit me from time to time, will you?" His voice tickled my hair.

I raised my head to look into his eyes. "Can I?"

"I'm not going anywhere." He chuckled. "Summon me every now and then, and I'll take you to different dimensions. There is one world with dragons, another with pixies, one with mermaids... Though the merfolk isn't as friendly as they are told in your stories. But the corals are a sight to see and—what are you doing?"

I don't know when or how I got that close, but my face was inches away from his. With a gasp, I pulled his t-shirt and pressed my lips against his crooked smile.

Gio's confused mphm hummed in my throat. His hands dropped to his sides as he straightened himself and then gently ran his fingers through my damp hair. I didn't need to open my eyes to see the fireworks. I could feel them in the air around us as we kissed. And I loved it, I loved him, I loved it all.

My heart expanded, as it never has before, and burst, showering sparks all over my tingling skin. And as our lips moved together, my soul melted into him, just as his melted into mine. This was my—our—first kiss... And Gio was going to stay with me, in my heart and the memories of this magical moment forever.

As we slowly parted, the earth started shaking. The purple sky cracked open, and darkness started consuming the pines. Gio and I smiled for a second before he grabbed my hand and started running to the castle.

We laughed as we ran up the crumbling stairs and kissed by my bedroom door while the stone walls fell on the floor. When we finally reached the mirror, Gio bent my head and kissed my hand before he let me cross.

As I walked in through the rippling glass, I knew that this world wasn't about finding my piece or losing it. It was about giving it away freely, and witnessing it become a part of someone else.