.. Joey was different.I was still joined to Yugi, a cursed spirit seeking an answer to a riddle I did not know. Playing a game without rules, but tryi...g to score points without knowing how. Without Yugi, I could have spent all of eternity as an unbound soul locked beyond nothingness. Even now, after going to the Afterlife and returning to the physical world, the thought of returning to that state threatens to drive me mad.Yugi grounded me, gave me purpose beyond my literally meaningless. I get off of the bed, and you raise your head,trying to listen for my steps to see where I have gone. I grabsomething from the kitchen, and come back over to you, you can hear mepad along the floor as I approach. I climb on the bed next to you, andkiss your belly button. This kiss, though, is cold. I have an ice cubein my mouth, and I run it along your abdomen with my teeth. You shiveras the sensation runs through you. Not being able to see me or touchme heightening every single one of my. She saw the look on my face and became all business again.I spoke first, but it came out strangely: "Um... so I think that burger I had for lunch gave me food poisoning." Was that my voice? I sounded like a cartoon frog!"Just a minute", she said, heading back to the nurse's station and around the corner.I waited, watching intently. It looked like she was the only one on shift for this ward tonight.She returned with some ice water, which I drank greedily."Slowly", she said concernedly.. As soon as I sat down she leaned on my shoulderWhy don't you think you can? I ask softlyI babble nonsense while she waited for an answerYou really liked itOf courseHow honest she said sticking closer to meIn her hands the coffee steamedIf you like what are you waiting for?I lowered my arm looking for her hip and I clung to her hard moving her towards me.She smiled and stopped, looked at me and smiled again, her eyes full of complicity dancing between my lips and my eyes, I noticed the slight.