inbox for saltburnt;

[guinegreer]

WELCOME TO THE SALTBURNT NETWORK

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G.GALLOWAY

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[hymen]

he cares about you, greer. i've known for a long time.
and i've also known i shouldn't have touched you here. even when ash wasn't around.

hey, maybe we can start a book club and read about all the greek gods that hated each other. you know, you can channel your feelings that way.

[guinegreer]

You can’t possibly know that. We haven’t seen each other in ten years. Not unless you count in passing at Sunday mass.

[ she hadn’t planned on telling ash about embry, anyway — and not just recent events, but everything before here. ]

Book club?

[ the embry she knew before might have been able to make her believe he wanted this. now? she doesn’t know what to believe. ]

[hymen]

i know ash. i know things about him you couldn't possibly know.
he wants to see you. badly.

it would mean a lot to ash if we could still get along.
we should do something normal we both like. like read about people who are more messed up than us.

[ he's really selling this. ]

[guinegreer]

[ she could’ve guessed that, knowing their history. brothers in arms. but it’s what he says next that catches her more off-guard. ]

Is that really what you want?

[ she can’t imagine embry willingly sitting through anything resembling book club. ]

[hymen]

[ she has no idea. no idea that he used to sit with his head nestled in ash's lap and read hamlet aloud to him, go through dog-eared, waterlogged copies of sappho, king authur, anything they could get their hands on at the secondhand shops in europe during their stolen vacations while the war went on. that they'd spend hours talking about what they'd read — before and after the hours they spent kissing and fucking.

she only knows him as the perpetual ladies' man, the most eligible bachelor in politics with a new date on his arm every night. the guy who doesn't call in the morning. ]

yeah. i'd do that with you.
i want that.

[guinegreer]

[ she wouldn’t guess he’s thrilled by the idea, so what’s the point? is it something ash suggested for them? is there a hidden reason embry’s offering himself up for it? an opportunity to be around her when he shouldn’t? ]

Fine.
We should meet in the library, so we can choose something.

[ she almost doesn’t want to leave him an excuse to put this off. ]

[hymen]

we could read the bible cover to cover.

[ hilarious? poor taste? unknown. ]

[guinegreer]

I think you’re normally supposed to start with something shorter.

[hymen]

goodnight moon? we could do that one in your room before bed.
then i would leave. promptly.

[guinegreer]

This sounds more and more like you reading me a bedtime story.

And I’m not sure if you’d be allowed to leave without tucking me in first.

[hymen]

[ fuck. ]

i'd make sure you're comfortable. warm. cozy. all the main food groups.
then it's lights out. i'd have to go. but i'd be thinking of you. that's not a crime. our thoughts are our own, etc.

[guinegreer]

You're right. It's not a crime. None of this is.