#caodrabble

It had been a freak cold front,the temperatures dipping well below freezing. Theo lived a little too far to walk, but it washer brother's birthday and Caocouldn't handle being home, notwith Artie still in jail. She had puton as many layers as possiblebefore slipping out and beginningthe walk.            By the time she reached his front            door, her body felt stiff and she            was just so tired. So tired that she            could barely lift her arm to ring the            bell.      It was a blur from there, hypothermia     he had said, and a sigh. Was he mad     at her?              Vague recollection of him picking              her up and then nothing. At least,              not until the water touched her ice              cold skin and she screamed, trying              to struggle from his grip. It hurt. He held her still, settling intothe tub and keeping her pressedto his chest, trying to keep her calmas he helped her warm up. It wouldn'tbe fun if she froze to death.                      "I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry."She could barely speakpast the chattering of her teeth.

"C’mon, at least let me give you a ride home or something. I’d feel just awful if I saw your picture on the news,” she lied, offering him her hand.                                                                      “I’m Caoilinn.”

It had been a long night,the hardness of the cellmattress making it impossibleto sleep.              She lied there, letting her mind             wander as she stared at the grey             ceiling.         He was smiling, arms wrapped around her         as he peppered soft kisses along her jaw,         his touch soft, gentle for a change. A break         from the aggressive and possessive nature                         he always displayed.   She giggled, ruffling his hair, just a normal couple   sitting in the park during the day, children running   about. The sort of guy she could bring home to   meet her parents. The type her dad might actually   like.               She smiled, arms crossed over her              chest as the images played over in              her mind. It was as if she had fixed               him, found a way to make him                                    whole.Steel bars clanged and Cao jumped,the daydream shattering as she camecrashing back to reality with a sad sigh.

                            "I can't forgive what you did, but that doesn't mean                                                                 I don't still love you."