Monster March: Sin the Tentacle Plant

Female Reader x Nonbinary Monster

You often take a quick  shortcut to get to the back of the theatre, between fences and down a  small alleyway. It saves you time, and you don’t have to fumble through  your keys looking for the right one to get through the side gate.  Sometimes you see interesting things, especially since you started  leaving the theater late.

Ever since recasting the lead in  response to a stream of displeased social media posts, the production  has gone into overtime every night to prepare the new cast member in the  time left before opening. You don’t mind it at all though - you love  your job in live theatre. The long days also help you avoid dealing with  your mother whining over you not getting married yet. After your sister  got married, it seems all she has time for is bemoaning how her eldest  child isn’t settled.

The alley you take has a lot of interesting  surprises during the evenings, like the little old lady who sits on her  terrace every night peeling potatoes. The skins fall down on the ground  from above, and she hums a tune you’ve never heard before. There’s a lot  of cats in the alley, and some kids who are trying to hang out in  peace.

One evening, as you’re heading home, you’re approaching  the old lady’s terrace when a pot comes crashing down from above. You  yelp and clutch your nonexistent pearls. Looking up, you see a bright  orange tabby on the railing, and then the little old lady leans over.  “Sorry he scared you, sweetie. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” you call up to her. You stoop, gathering up the plant from the shattered pot. “But your poor plant!”

The  old lady scoffs while the tabby purrs. “Envy here has never cared for  that one. I can’t tell you how many times he’s tried to do away with it.  Do you like plants?”

The plant appears to be a succulent, but  it’s in bad shape. Some of the leaves are soggy and browning, drooping -  possibly from the fall, but more than likely stressed and unattended  to. “I do.” You glance back up at the woman. “I have a small garden in  my kitchen.”

The woman smiles and waves her hand. “Then why don’t  you take it? It could use a nice home, and you look nice enough to make  any plant happy.”

You scoop the plant into your palms, trying to  make sure the roots are okay. “Thank you! I actually have an extra pot  that would be perfect for it.” You’ve never seen a plant like it before,  succulent or not. The leaves look strange, almost alien. “Can you tell  me what it is?”

“It’s a plant!” she says cheerfully.

Rather than pushing the subject, you wave up at her. “Thanks again. I’ll take good care of it, I promise.”

You  head home with your new roommate, taking it to the kitchen where your  other plants are waiting. You have a thing for saving the neglected  plants in the garden centers of department stores, giving them the  attention and love they need, which has resulted as a lush green  landscape in your kitchen.

You get your newest addition potted  and trim away the injured and dying leaves. The way this plant grows  reminds you of aloe, but the leaves are much more jagged. They take on a  star shape that stacks upon itself, giving it a spiky Christmas-tree  look.

“We’ll get you back up to snuff in no time,” you say  tenderly to the plant. You take the rice starch water you use on your  plants from the fridge, get the dirt moist around the plant, then set it  where it will get good sun the next day.

“Let’s see,” you murmur  as you gaze at the new plant. “What should I name you?” Each of your  plants has special names, something that reminds you of the day you got  them. The cat’s name is Envy, who is also a character in the book you’re  currently reading. “I know it’s not the cutest of names, but I think  Sin suits you just fine. It sounds cute without context,” you chuckle.

The  next morning you find Sin’s soil bone-dry, as if you hadn’t watered it  at all. You give Sin an extra helping of water, setting a plate under  the pot just in case. Already, Sin’s color looks brighter, and the  leaves are starting to look plump and healthy.

Coming home that  evening, you find the dirt dry again. Knowing you’d watered it, even  given it a touch extra, you’re a bit confused. Not knowing exactly what  this plant is, you couldn’t possibly know the proper way to care for it,  much like the potato lady. You decide the best option is to put an  automatic waterer in the pot with the plant. That way, it can have water  when it needs it. But the next morning the dirt is dry yet again, and  the watering device is completely empty.

The plant does look  bigger, and already the leaves you pruned are starting to grow out  again. Whatever this plant is, it appears to be some sort of  super-plant. So before you go to work, you set the pot in a shallow bowl  full of starch water, hoping it will keep the dirt moist enough for the  plant. You also take pictures, so you can stop by your favorite  greenhouse to ask for advice.

“It looks like a tiger’s tooth aloe,  but not enough like it,” the lady replies. “And you say the dirt is  always dry no matter what you do?”

You nod and scratch your chin.  “I’ve never seen a plant leave the dirt dry. I’m starting to wonder if  I’m supposed to just have the roots suspended in water.”

“What did the roots look like?”

You shrug. “Like normal roots, although they were kind of thick.”

“I’ll  try to look up what I can, but just keep watering it. If it wasn’t  properly taken care of before it could just need to recover right now.  Give it time.”

You do, but Sin continues to guzzle water like it’s  in a drought. It’s getting bigger and bigger every day. It sprouts  more, and soon you have to transfer Sin to a bigger pot. Some of the  leaves grow limp over the sides of the pot, while others stiffly reach  high. The more you water Sin, the more it just keeps growing.

Work  is going well, and practice for the play was going smooth like butter.  Everyone is pleased with the progress. Unfortunately, one evening your  mother calls, and the conversation goes well until it doesn’t. She  starts going on about how well your little sister is doing with her new  husband; they’re looking for a house. It would be okay if your mother  simply said ‘I’m worried and only want something nice like this for  you.’ Instead she says something much worse: “I just want you to get  married.”

You could probably marry the next jerk off the street  and it would make her happy, just so long as you follow the  heteronormative expectation. It’s all she ever seems to talk about - how  she wishes you were married or that she’s so happy your sister is  married.

After the call is over, you make another call to your  sister. “I didn’t marry my husband for her, I married him because we  talked it through and wanted to. Why does it feel like she’s treating my  marriage as a favor to her?”

“Because dad divorced her and something in her snapped,” you answer.

“Try not to let her get to you. If I knew she’d get worse after the wedding, I wouldn’t have done it,” she laughs.

“No, I’m glad you did. You two are so happy together. When you find a house, let me know. I’d like to see it.”

“A house?” Your sister sounds confused. “What house?”

“Mom said you were…” You sigh. “Is she wanting you to get a house?”

Your sister groans. “Yeah. She thinks our apartment is too small.”

“For the baby?” you say mockingly.

Your  sister bursts out laughing. “She’s not said it yet, but she’s saying  it! Even though I told her we don’t plan on having any kids besides our  dogs!”

You hear something rattle in the kitchen. “We need to have a  talk with her eventually.” You walk towards the kitchen door and reach  for the light switch.

“Yeah I guess.”

Something shatters, and you yelp.

“What was that? Are you okay?”

You  find the light switch, and when the lights flicker on you see that  Sin’s pot has fallen onto the floor. “Yeah. It’s fine. But one of my  plants fell, and I need to clean it up.”

“Oh, okay,” your sister says. “Well, if you need to talk again, give me a call.”

“Will  do, thanks.” You hang up and kneel to clean up the mess. As you turn  the pot over, you can’t find Sin. “What the fuck?” you whisper in  disbelief. You search under the table and cabinets to find the plant,  but there’s nothing! It’s as if Sin disintegrated on impact. But Sin had  gotten so big, it seems impossible for it to just vanish like that.

As  you stand you hear something rustle behind you. Every hair on your body  stands on end, and you reach for the frying pan on the stove. You turn,  hearing the rustle again. You hold your breath, trying to keep every  sound you make as quiet as possible.

You poke your head through  the kitchen door, but you don’t see anything. Stepping out, you listen  closely to every sound, even any cars that drive by the apartment. You  start to think you were hearing things when you hear the shower turn on  in the bathroom.

Every cell in your body throbs in high alert, as  if vibrating in preparation to disperse should someone actually be in  your shower. You tiptoe to the bathroom, peering in the open door. You  hear a moan from inside, and your heart stops.

“Who’s in there? I’ve got a weapon!”

There’s no answer.

“Are you a ghost?” Your voice cracks.

Something  green hangs over the shower rod and down the curtain - long tendrils  that flare out in spiky protrusions that flex open and closed. You  swallow your heart back down from your throat as you step into the  bathroom. More green limbs pop out along the shower and when you snatch  open the curtain, you see Sin lying under the stream.

“What in the…”

Sin  reaches up and turns off the water. The long limbs hanging from the  shower belong to it. Sin sits silently in the pool of water, not moving.

“I didn’t think you’d mind,” the plant says.

You scream and nearly topple over, but Sin’s vines catch you and keep you from slamming your head against the doorframe.

“Sorry.” Sin’s voice is smooth and even. It would almost be comforting if it wasn’t a plant talking!

“What’s going on!?” You struggle against the limbs, but they’re all that’s holding you up now. “What are you? Are you an alien?”

Sin  sits up in the tub, and between the tendrils you see two bright pink  eyes glowing. “I’m Sin, like you called me. Thank you, by the way, for  getting me away from that cat. He was awful.”

Your heart is  pounding like a jackhammer on asphalt. It feels as though you might  never calm down from this. “Sh-sure,” you stutter.

“It’s okay,” Sin’s deep voice murmurs. “I know this is weird, but I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a long time.”

“Yeah it’s weird,” you gasp. “How long have you… been this way?”

“Always.  I could see you and hear you, but I was still too small to be able to  reply.” Sin’s voice is mellow. “Today I was able to wriggle from the  pot, but when I did, I felt so dry.”

“Oh.” You feel yourself calming down. “Well, next time, give me a warning before you… do that.”

Sin lifts a tentacle and brushes it against your cheek, moving your hair away from your face. “There, much better.”

“Wow,” you whisper. “Sorry, I’m still in shock over this.”

“I didn’t want to scare you,” Sin says. “You’ve done so much for me, I feel as though I owe you.”

At  last you can stand on your own, and you try to take in the giant plant  that’s filled your bathtub. “I think you would have scared me no matter  what. I’m still kind of… uncertain. I don’t know if this is a ‘Feed me,  Seymour’ situation or not.”

Sin’s eyes glow slightly brighter. “Who’s Seymour?”

You  smile shyly. “Never mind, I’m just saying this might take me some time  to get used to. I’ve never had a plant talk to me before.”

Sin  rises up in the bathtub, tendrils dripping with warm water. It stands  taller than you, almost bumping against the shower rod. “Don’t worry,  I’ll pretty much be the same as before. But if you need help around the  house, I would be happy to do it.”

You don’t see anything beyond  Sin’s vines besides the glowing pink eyes. They blink and shift along  the body, peering through the openings in the tendrils seeming to appear  where Sin wants to look the most. You wonder if this is really a  ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ situation, and Sin came here from outer space  to conquer the planet. Or maybe it’s some sort of demon plant. Maybe  this is just the next step in evolution. Who knows? Certainly you don’t.

“Actually,”  the words come to you before you even have time to process how asinine  the idea is. “I could use someone to pretend to be a boyfriend for me.”  It sounds so much more ridiculous when you say it out loud, and you  suddenly regret it.

Sin tilts to the side. “Boyfriend?” Several eyes blink open at once.

“You know,” you start, “like a partner. A romantic partner.”

Sin’s tentacles shift and the spiky parts stick up, making its whole form look bigger. “You want me to be your partner?”

You quickly shake your head. “No, no! Nothing like that. It’s stupid, forget I said it.”

“I  know you get upset when you talk to your mother on the phone,” Sin says  thoughtfully. “Does she make you feel bad for not having a partner?”

You grimace. “You’ve heard all of that?”

“I  told you, I could hear and understand everything. I just couldn’t reply  to it until now.” Sin reaches out and touches you, and the spiky parts  close up so the tendrils are silky and cool against your skin. “It makes  me upset to see you hurt by whatever your mother says.”

“It’s  okay,” you say in defeat. “Mom has had it hard for a while. She tends to  hyperfocus on these things, so…” You trail off as Sin’s limbs pull you  close. The spiky leaves all close up, giving them a soft, bubbly feel.  Sin’s scent is relaxing, almost like yuzu. It’s crisp and woody, cooling  to the senses.

“Oh uh, thanks,” you say in surprise.

“I’ll  pretend to be this boyfriend, if you think it will keep you from getting  hurt.” Sin kneels down close to you. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”

You smile, then start to laugh nervously. “Well, with a voice like that, I think Mom would be fooled.”

Years  of working in theatre have prepared you for this moment. You build up a  script for how to naturally introduce Sin as a boyfriend. First, you  have them make noises in the background during calls. Over time, they  start talking while you’re on the phone. Once your mother is curious  enough, which doesn’t take long, you introduce Sin over the phone as  Seymour.

“She sounds pushy,” Sin says after one such call.

“She  can be,” you sigh. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to talk to her again if  you don’t want to.” You set your phone aside and smile up at Sin. It’s  been a few weeks since they scared the daylights out of you. Now, you’ve  come to enjoy having them there. Sin helps clean up around the place,  and does the dishes you tend to ignore. You sleep a little more soundly  at night knowing Sin is with you. Not to mention they have really helped  lower your stress in dealing with your mother.

“I don’t mind. It  helps you.” Sin brushes a limb against your hair to tuck it behind your  ear. “Did you hear what we were talking about?”

“I was changing  the sheets on my bed,” you reply. “I didn’t wanna be nosy. I figured you  would handle her well enough without me.”

Sin shifts, seeming nervous about their response. “She asked me what it was about you that I was attracted to.”

“Oh, god,” you sigh. “I’m sorry. She didn’t mean that to sound as awful as it was. I’m sure she was just being nosy.”

“I  wasn’t sure what to say at first, because I had so many thoughts at  once.” Their deep voice is gentle and soft, and reminds you of a thick  blanket rustling on a cold night.

Your heart skips a beat. “What do you mean?”

Sin  fidgets, lowering themselves down so they appear quite small. “It’s  just that I don’t have one thing I can focus on when I think about you.  Sometimes I’m just happy to have you close by. Other times I like to  feel how warm you are. And in the evenings when you come home after it  rains, and there are droplets in your hair, and you smell cool, and your  skin is flushed pink. I just…” They go silent, as does your pulse.

You take a breath just to make sure you’re not dreaming. “What did you end up saying to her?”

Sin’s  eyes glow softly between the vines. “I told her that because of you, I  felt purpose and joy. It wasn’t just one thing I was attracted to, but  when I put them all together, it was one thing, and it was just you.”

You’re  almost as scared as you were the night that Sin made themselves known,  only this time there is a tinge of excitement to it. “Wow. You’re a  better romantic writer than most people would ever dream to be.” You  laugh to try and dissipate the tension. “You must have really impressed  my mother.”

“I don’t care if I impress her or not,” Sin grumbles. “The only person I care about impressing is you.”

Your  cheeks burn as you clutch your hands over your knees. “So that wasn’t  some creative writing exercise. That was… that was real?”

Sin  rises up a bit more so that now you’re eye level with them. “I’ve known  that from the first moment I met you. The way you held me so tenderly  and talked to me with that gentle tone. I felt safe and protected in a  way I never have before. Knowing you were watching over me allowed me to  grow like I have. I want to be able to do the same for you, even if all  you see me as is a plant.”

You sniffle, unable to stop your  tears. “I’m sorry.” You cup your hands around your face. “No one has  ever said something like that to me before. I…”

Something wet  touches your cheek, and you see a purple tongue emerge from Sin’s vines.  The tongue laps up your tears and Sin sighs softly. “I didn’t mean to  make you cry.”

You shake your head. “It’s a good cry, Sin. A nice  cry.” You smile at them and giggle as their tongue darts over your cheek  again. “Thank you. I don’t think you realize how much that means to  me.” You hiccup and try to keep yourself from bursting into tears again.  “It was beautiful.”

“If what I said is beautiful, it’s only because you’re beautiful.”

More tears fall. “You’re too good at this!”

“I’m sorry!” Sin yelps.

“It’s  okay,” you laugh despite your blubbering. “Where did you learn to speak  like that? I don’t even have any poetry books here.”

Sin licks  your cheek again. “The old lady I used to live with watched old movies  all the time. I learned a lot of things from them, as long as that  stupid cat wasn’t around.”

“I see.” You steady yourself, taking a  deep breath to stop the tears. “That makes sense.” You look into Sin’s  glowing eyes. “How can I kiss you?”

Sin’s spikes stick out all at once. “You would do that?”

You nod. “I’d like to. After all you’ve said, I want to kiss you.”

“I  didn’t mean that at all. You don’t have to. But I would like…” Sin  hesitates, shrinking back down. “I’ve never kissed anyone. I fear it  might be weird.”

“I can close my eyes if you’d like.” You place your palm over your eyes. “Will that help you any?”

“Maybe?”  You feel the silky touch of Sin’s tentacles on your face. They slip  under your chin, tilting your head up. You feel the sensation of  something wet tracing your lips. Sin’s tongue licks you, slowly pressing  into your mouth. The tongue tastes sweet, almost like honeysuckle with a  bit of lemon.

Then there is something soft and cool against your  skin. You kiss it and Sin shudders, pulling away again. “I’m getting too  excited.”

You open your eyes and smile at them. “It was nice.”

“Was it?” Sin looks up at you. “It didn’t feel strange?”

“It was different and new, but I wouldn’t call it strange right away.” You wink at them.

Sin  sits up tall again and many eyes open. “If I try hard enough, and I  earn it, do you think I could be your boyfriend for real?”

You nod, not sure what to say or do, but knowing you would never say no.

A  few days later you’re coming home from work, walking down the same  alley as before. You haven’t seen the potato lady in a while, but  tonight she’s sitting on her terrace peeling potatoes like always.

“It’s supposed to rain soon,” she warns. “Do you have an umbrella?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.” You stop and look up at her. “I wanted to ask - where did you get that plant you gave me?”

She leans over the railing. “I’m sorry dearie, I can’t hear you. What did you say?”

“I wanted to know where you got that…”

All  at once the rain comes down in a thick, heavy sheet, slapping you in  the face and filling your open mouth. Needless to say, you never get  your answer. Instead you bolt home, running through the rain. Once you  make it inside, you’re soaked to the bone.

“Are you alright?” Sin comes to you as you toss your soggy shoes aside.

“I’m okay,” you huff. “Just wet.”

“Well, here, let me help you.” Sin helps take off your cardigan, then starts to take off your shirt, but you stop them.

“I’ll go undress in the bathroom,” you say. “I would love some hot tea, though.”

“I’ll get a pot on for you,” Sin says quickly.

When  their vines touched your skin a spark went through your body. It wasn’t  nerves or even a slight hint of fear, it was pleasure. You go to the  bathroom, stripping off your wet clothes and tossing them over the  shower rod. You take a deep breath, then dry off your face and hair.

Sin knocks on the bathroom door. “I put your robe in the dryer for you, so it’ll be nice and warm when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” They know what you want even before you do.

You  wash your face, getting off the makeup that’s already running. Patting  the towel over your face you take a calming breath. You still have that  excited sensation coursing through you from when Sin touched you. It was  an innocuous touch, they just wanted to help. But something about just  them touching you made you happy about it.

You crack open the bathroom door. “Sin, I’m ready.”

A moment later they hold out the fluffy, warm robe to you. “Tea is ready, too! I made you the cinnamon one.”

“That’s  perfect. Thank you.” After putting on the robe you join Sin at the  table where they have the tea waiting. They’ve even added a little milk  to help it cool off.

“Aside from getting caught in the rain, how was your day?” Sin asks.

You  blow on your tea and take a small sip. “It was good. We’re getting  close to our dress rehearsal, so everyone is on pins and needles.”

Sin lies on the table, their pink eyes looking up at you. “Are you worried about anything going wrong?”

“No,  I feel really good about this. The only thing I’m worried about is how  tired I’ve been,” you chuckle. “But that’s normal. I was told as a kid  that being an adult just meant being tired all the time.”

Sin  places a tendril in your hair. “Let me brush your hair. One second.”  They scurry off to the bathroom and a second later you feel the brush at  your back. Sin starts at the ends, working their way up. Sometimes they  touch the back of your neck, sending an excited current down your  spine.

“That feels nice, Sin.” You try to distract yourself by sipping coffee.

“I always want to make you feel nice,” Sin answers cheerfully. “If there is anything else I can do for you, let me know.”

You  think long and hard on what you should do and what you shouldn’t. Then  you slip your robe down around your shoulders. “Do you mind rubbing my  neck and shoulders a bit?”

“Oh.” Sin sounds breathless. “I can!”  Their limbs smooth out into that silky bubble texture. They knead into  your shoulders and the back of your neck slowly, hesitantly at first.  You bite your lip as their touch grows more intense. When a moan escapes  your throat, Sin suddenly pulls away.

“What’s wrong?” You pull up the robe again and turn around. “Sorry about that. It just felt really good.”

Sin sways side to side. “Nothing is wrong. But that sound, it…”

“I’ll be quiet.”

Sin  shakes. “No. I liked it. In fact, I would love to hear more of your  voice like that. But I know I have to earn such a thing. I can’t just  want it and take it. I have to wait.”

You rub the robe between your fingers. “Wait for what?”

“Wait  for you to love me.” Sin’s voice is soft and lovely. “So that when I do  cause you to make those sounds, it’s because you want me to.”

“I want you to, Sin.” You stand up and let the robe open, exposing your naked body to them. “Please?”

Sin goes stone-still, but you can hear them breathing. Their eyes flicker all at once, and they rise tall over you. “Really?”

You  nod. “I keep thinking about you and how much you’ve come to mean to  me.” You take a step closer to Sin, and they place limbs on your  shoulders. “Ever since that night when you told me how you felt, I keep  thinking that perhaps… I feel that way too.”

Sin shivers, and more of their vines begin to touch you. “Do you?”

You smile and reach up, searching through the vines to find something solid beneath. “I do, Sin. I can’t hide how much anymore.”

Sin scoops you up and carries you hurriedly off to the bedroom. “Sin!” you cry out in surprise.

“I’m  so happy, I can’t wait to show you.” Sin keeps you suspended in their  tentacles, each limb slowly closing so every vine is smooth and silky.  They brush away the robe so you lie naked in their arms. You wiggle,  feeling nervous about how high above the floor they’re holding you, but  excited to see what they have in mind.

Sin leans over you, and  their long purple tongue darts over your skin. It moves between your  breasts, down your belly, and tickles the seams of your hips. You giggle  as their tongue slips between your thighs.

“Is it alright?” Sin asks. “I’ll stop if this is too much.”

You  open your thighs for them and reach down. You slowly touch yourself as  Sin watches. Your fingers open up the mound to show off the lips inside.  Your fingertips dance around your clit, rubbing it until a low moan  escapes your throat.

Sin gasps and eases themself closer. They  tongue darts over your folds, it then presses closer. They then slip  their tongue inside.

“It’s wet!” they exclaim.

You bite your cheek and nod. “The more you touch me, the wetter I’ll get.”

Sin’s  tentacles start to envelop your body, squeezing around your breasts,  hugging your waist and rubbing your arms. One replaces your finger,  swirling around your clit while Sin’s tongue travels back inside. They  suck, shivering as you start to feel heated and dizzy. You pant and moan  as Sin leaves nothing untouched.

“So warm!” Sin pulls back, tongue hanging between the vines. “Can I try more?”

You’re not sure what more they could try. “I’d like that,” you say between deep breaths.

Sin  sits up straight, and the tentacle on your clit eases down. It rubs at  your vulva, catching the slick wetness there,then slowly eases inside as  you and Sin moan with the same breath.

“I can’t believe how good  that feels,” Sin moans. “So warm and wet, so tight!” They push the  tentacle in deeper, thrusting it back then pulling it shallow where they  swirl.

You cry out, bucking your hips to feel more. Sin’s voice  is deeper now, more desperate. They wiggle the tendril inside you,  pulling it out and using another limb. You whimper and shiver, throwing  your head back as Sin coaxes a deeper excitement from you.

“Your body is amazing,” Sin pants. “I never want to let go.”

“Sin, I’m gonna come!”

Sin’s  tentacle inside twitches and starts moving harder. It feels like it’s  opening up, and the bubbly texture becomes more intense. You squeeze  hard around them, crying out with abandon as the tension inside you  builds to high pressure. It feels like steam releasing from your entire  body all at once. You go stiff, then limp, your hips thrusting as Sin’s  tentacle keeps moving. A jellylike substance drips from inside you,  clear and goopy, almost like aloe gel.

Sin keeps you aloft in  their vines as they slowly move closer to you. They kiss your body  before giving you a soft, long kiss to the lips.

You wrap your arms around Sin. “How do you feel?”

“Amazing,” they chuckle. “What about you?”

“I’m worried,” you confess.

Sin shudders. “About what?”

“I may not sleep tonight,” you say as you flash them a devilish smirk. “Because you were too good at that.”

Sin chuckles excitedly. “I’ll do whatever you want. I love you.”

You hold Sin close and sigh, because you know what’s in your heart at that exact moment. “I love you too, Sin.”

They squeeze tight around you. “I’m so happy. I really don’t know what to do with myself.”

“Just lie here with me,” you whisper. “Stay with me.”