Cherry reached for Gilbert before she knew what she wanted to say.
Her thoughts would not settle. She remembered asking him to leave, yet now the thought of being alone frightened her. The heat beneath her skin had not faded, and she could not tell which feelings belonged to her and which had been sharpened by the unknown liquid.
She caught his shirt and held on.
"Gilbert…"
Her voice trembled.
"Gilbert Ace Carter."
He went still. Cherry looked up at him through her tears, searching his face for the anger she had heard earlier. His expression changed as he watched her, but she could not read everything in it.
He held her gently.
"Cherry," he said, "you're not yourself right now."
She knew something was wrong. Her body felt unfamiliar, and even simple thoughts slipped away before she could hold on to them. But she understood the fear that rose whenever she imagined him walking out.
Her fingers tightened in his shirt.
"Don't leave me."
