Free

Not sure how I feel about this story.

It's getting so, so hot in here..

I climbed onto the trampoline, rolling onto my back. It was nine and the sky just now becoming dark. It was so quiet, the majority of my neighbors going to bed as if their kids were still in school. I bit the inside of my lip, pulling the blankets from the night before closer to me. And the closer the blankets got, the more my eyes closed. The quicker I fell asleep.

I wandered through the wheat field, laughing and giggling. My friends followed behind me. The smell of ash came upon us. I can see it now…

I yawned raising my arms high above my head, shoulders and back popping. I let out a satisfied sigh opening my eyes. I chuckled seeing how easily my body woke me up with the sun. Tossing off the blankets I scrambled off the trampoline. I squealed as I fell onto the floor. I grumble to myself, wiping the grass and dirt off my legs.

My lungs, on fire from your atmosphere

I glanced at the trampoline, grabbing the blankets and hauling them inside my house. Scanning my empty living room, I plopped them down. I should really unpack everything soon. My shoulders dropped at the thought. I made my way to the room that should be where I slept. I need to buy a bed.. 

One by one all of us realized the reality of this meeting. It wasn't a celebration. It was destruction. We screamed. We tried to run away.

I look in the bathroom taking note of its emptiness. I comb a hand through my hair before muttering to myself angrily. I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Dialing(yes, dialing) my girlfriend's number. "What's up honeypot?~" I pulled back, immediately stuttering.

"Sally!" She burst out laughing. 

"Sorry Lyric, I couldn't help myself. What do you need?"

We play with fire till it burns, dear

"Focusing. I need to buy things.. And arrange my-"

"You haven't finished your house yet? Babe! I've been telling you to do that for months!" I let out a nervous laugh, hearing scuffling in the background. Sally let out a long frustrated sigh before saying: "I'm coming, stay there.."

"Hehe.. Thanks darling."

"Of course."

The ones who invited us.. They just chased and chased us. Torches in hand.. Rags ready.

I opened the door smiling seeing her familiar happy face. "Thanks again-" My eyes widen as she kissed my lips. 

"Sh. Let's get to work, hm?" She asks walking inside. I chuckle a bit, closing the doors. I nervously scanned around, seeing the area. I noticed how much boxes laid around the place. Sally turned to me with a sigh. "Really babe?"

"Least we'll have fun..?" She rolled her eyes, but I saw that smile of hers. I grinned. 

"Yeah."

Leave now and you won't feel the heat from here

I picked up one of the boxes moving it to the center of my living room, where Sally was. I watched her as she organized fabrics and the like with each other. The dishes were stacked neatly already. "What do you want me to do?" I squatted next to her, watching her fold one of my shirts. 

"You can put everything in their set rooms, or in the furniture if there is any." She says with a smile. I smile too, leaning in, kissing her cheek. 

Some rags were lit and thrown. We screamed. Some of them tackled us. We fell.. We were wrapped..

"Thank you so much, darling." Her smile grew. Sally reached forward and with curiosity, I rose a brow. She grabbed my shirt pulling me forward a bit. I squeaked. She chuckles kissing my lips. I, a wreck, kiss back. After what felt like a minute, she lets go. I fall onto my butt. Sally laughs ruffling my hair. 

"Beautiful being." I nervously grin at her compliment. 

"Nothing can outdo you, love." I say softly, standing up to grab some dishes. I heard her flusteredness. 

We play with flames till it burns, dear

I stared at the cabinets as I entered the kitchen. I bit the inside of my lip before setting the stack of bowls down. I opened all of the cabinets wiping a finger on the surface of one of them. It had some dust. My shoulders drop a bit, but I knew it was time to not be lazy, so I headed back into the living room. "I need this." I say grabbing a wash cloth. Sally merely hummed, letting me do my thing.

I ran so far.. So so far. I thought I was lucky. It was a bit selfish I think, to believe that because those idiots were working on my friends, that I'd be free.

I wiped all of the cabinet surfaces, and decided to do the same with the drawers here. I knew the counters were clean because I did that the day before. 

When that was done, I organized my bowls in the way I liked: the clay bowls first, the strange plastic ones inside of those, and then the tiny glass ones inside of those. The other bowls were my bigger glass bowls, I set those on the shelf above.

Leave now and you won't feel the heat from here

I did the same thing with the plates, stacking them by size. I set my main plates next to the bowls, in the same shelf section. The bigger plates went underneath the bigger bowls on the top shelf. I smiled, happy to see the work I was doing. It wasn't much compared to what Sally was doing, but for me, Lyric who can't find the right pronouns, this was amazing. 

One of them was gaining up on me. I was starting to loose my breath. I could smell that stupid fucking smell of burning people. I heard their screams.

I made my way to the living room. Sally grinned at me. She thought I was doing good too, and that meant the world to me. She tilted her head before standing up. I raise a brow. "How about we go get some ice cream?" She asks holding out her hands. I make my way towards her, taking her hands. 

"We've barely made a dent-" She interrupted me with a kiss, and my breath hitched.

We play with flames till it burns, dear

She giggled pulling away. "You've done good. It's hard for you to focus. Even now." I laugh a bit.

"Well you kissing me left and right doesn't help." She grins.

"I know." My eyes widen. 

"You don't want me to work on it." She eyed the floor with a nervous smile.

"Not really." She pulls me into a hug. "I want to spend time with you."

"We do every time after-" She shook her head making me stop. 

"We do.. But I want.. To do something else, Lyric." Sally looked at me nervously. 

When that person gained on me, I started to truly believe I was doomed.. And that thought made me such. One by one they gained on me. Oh God why do you do this to us?!

My eyes widen, cheeks turning bright like a tomato. "Wait I thought you-" Her laugh interrupted me.

"I'm not talking about doing it, Lyric." She said, still laughing. She had to pull her hand away, holding her gut. I stood there confused as she calmed down.

"What do you mean then..?"

Leave now and you won't feel the heat from here

Sally took a deep breath, holding my hands again. She stared at them for what seemed like minutes. She took a deep breath and looked at me. I felt my heart beat faster and faster. She whispers something.

"Huh?"

"I want to marry you, Lyric." She says just a little louder. I froze. Heat rose to my cheeks. I pulled my hands away from hers before picking her up. 

"Yes!" I shout. The two of us laugh.

They all tackled me. Rags were thrown. I screamed so loudly. No one would help me. I was gay, why would they?

The two of us sat on the floor, smiling at each other like idiots. "You'll.. You'll really marry me, Lyric?"

"Of course I would, Sally!" I reply, kissing her happily. "I'd be an idiot if I didn't." I smile. She giggles, ruffling my hair. 

It's getting so, so hot in here.

"I love you.." She whispers.

"I love you too, Sally." I say, leaning my forehead against hers. 

___________________________________________

The song is Playing with Flames by Rose Ghould.