The waiter’s arrival cut off whatever Lilith was about to say. But when he was gone, and I asked what she was going to tell me, she just waved her hand and said she couldn’t remember. I took it as a sign that I had exhausted the conversation, and whatever else she had to say, she would do so in her own time.


    After that, we spent the next half hour talking about lighter things-the shops we’d visited, ns for the uing week, anything to give us both a chance to recover from the heavy conversation.


    I was halfway through my meal when our waiter approached with a cocktail on his tray.


    “Excuse me, miss,” he said, setting the drink in front of me. “This is from the gentleman at the bar.”


    I looked over and saw a man sitting alone, raising his own ss in my direction. He looked to be in his thirties, reasonably attractive, with dark hair and a friendly, close-lipped smile.


    My first instinct was to refuse. I was married, after all, even if it was a sham of a marriage. And I didn’t make a habit of epting drinks from strangers.


    But then I thought about everything that had been happeningtely. I was dying, potentially even faster than I initially expected, at twenty-fucking-two years of age, and I’d spent thest five


    years of my life living like a nun, following all the rules, being the perfect Luna wife while my husband ignored mepletely.


    How many normal experiences had I missed because I was so focused on being proper? How many simple pleasures had I denied myself?


    epting a drink from a handsome stranger was something most women my age had experienced at least once. It was a small thrill, a tiny rebellion, a moment of feeling desired by someone who wasn’t obligated to pretend to want me for political reasons.


    I was probably going to be dead in a few months anyway. What was the harm in experiencing one normal thing?


    “Thank you,” I told the waiter, picking up the ss. It looked like some kind of fruity cocktail, pink and sweet-looking. I raised it toward the man at the bar and smiled.


    He smiled back and nodded, then returned to his rink


    “E,” Lilith said, “are you sure that’s a good idea?”!


    “It’s just a drink,” Iughed. “I’m not going to run away with him or anything. I just… I want to know what it feels like. To be a normal woman for five minutes.”


    Lilith looked at me for a moment, but nodded, seeming to understand.


    The drink was delicious-sweet and fruity with just enough alcohol to make it interesting. I sipped it slowly while we finished our dinner, feeling slightly more rxed with each taste.


    “Excuse me,” Lilith said, standing up at one point. “I need to use thedies’ room. I’ll be right. back.”


    “Take your time,” I said, taking another sip of my drink.


    Alone at the table, I found myself people-watching through the window. Couples walking hand in hand, friendsughing together, families heading home from dinner. Normal people living normal lives.


    I took another sip of my cocktail, and then I noticed something was… wrong.


    My head felt fuzzy. Not tipsy, but… Heavier. Like my thoughts were moving through msses.


    I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision, but everything seemed slightly out of focus. The sounds around me were muffled, like I was under water.


    Panic started to set in as I sat there, too sluggish to move. Something was definitely wrong with me. Was I having another episode? Was my condition getting worse?


    Before I could get up, a shadow fell across the table. I looked up to see the man from the bar looming over me, grinning down at me with rotten teeth.