Brain death, RIP

“Well, you’re Catholic,” she said. “Guilty feelings are just part of the package."

She had me there. I managed a smile. “Yeah, I suppose.” Her fingertips were warm on my face. I liked that closeness. I craved it more than blood. I was lonely. I couldn’t deny it. But it still felt wrong even while it filled that emptiness inside me.

“Do you want to stop?”

I lifted my face to look at hers. She had brown eyes set against tanned skin, straight pale hair. Different. Different was good. “I can’t answer that in one word,” I replied. “But no.”