Marco

The sound of the door opening wakes me up from one of the most restful sleep I’ve ever had since the shooting, it’s the first sleep I’ve had in recent nights that isn’t med-induced. Without opening my eyes, I hear the faint footsteps of someone coming into my room, the lightness of the steps are obviously Valentina’s. I smile at her image that pops up in my head, I can imagine her walking on tip-toe to avoid waking me up. It is now a daily routine for me to wake up to her by my side and that reduces the pain of my wound and the grogginess of my medicines by a greater percent.

I lie perfectly still as she pull the blinds off the window to let in the morning sun.

“You know I can tell you’re awake right?”

She says while walking towards me from the window. I open my eyes and smile at her knowing my ruse is up.

“How are you able to tell?”

“Because you’re a bad pretender.”

I sigh.

“You know me too well.”

I sit up gently on the bed trying to avoid my injured arm, she walks quickly to