Page 30 of These Dirty Lies

It was real.

Which meant, he was here somewhere. Nix was here.

He was—

“Hello, Birdie.”

Two little words.

So soft and innocent.

Yet they hit me like bullets, tearing through skin and muscle, embedding themselves in my soul, shattering something vital.

I turned slowly and fast all at the same time. My eyes landed on him and I breathed, “Nix.”

He was here.

Standing in front of me.

Real. Alive. Here.

And I didn’t know what the hell to do with that.