Unscramble Safely Novels & Stories

Breathing. Safe.

“Your brain knows what your heart is too scared to admit. Lucas is your future. Adrian is your past. And you can’t build a life looking backward.” “But I broke down in his arms. Adrian’s. At the coffee shop. And it felt like home.” “Of course it did.” Clara strokes my hair. “Trauma often feels like home when that’s what you’re used to. But Serena, home shouldn’t hurt. Home shouldn’t require you to shrink yourself or walk on eggshells or wonder if today is the day everything falls apart again.” “Lucas makes me feel safe.” “Exactly. And after everything you’ve survived, safe is revolutionary.” She pulls back to look at me. “Stop treating safe like it’s boring or settling. Safe is a gift. Safe

The last memory she had of the world before everything went black was the final text message I'd sent to her. "Be safe, Carol."

Opening my mouth to say the safe word I'm stopped, his hand strikes again, a moan escaping my mouth as I grip the table. "Four." Fuck even attempting to say it, this is too good not to enjoy, his hand hits a final time and I feel the wetness building between my legs "Five" His hands grab me and spin me around to face him. "See, now Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is not a safe word, a real one please." My mind begins thinking of a safe word. "Okay, how about cactus." I don't even know where that came from, but there it is, cactus, he looks almost amused at my suggestion but doesn't decline it.

Tonight it felt real. I picked up the pen, its gold tip catching the warm glow of the bedside lamp. I read the words out loud, voice steady even though my pulse hammered in my throat. “Safe words: Green for go. Yellow for slow down. Red for stop. Immediate. No questions. No guilt.” James nodded once, slow and serious. “Say them back to me.” “Green. Yellow. Red.” “Good girl.” His voice dropped lower, velvet over gravel. “And aftercare. Always. No matter what.”

We were still safe. For now.