Excerpt: Untitled

“I know what I want to be called.”

Glyph lay his book down and looked at her. They were together on one of the couches in Glyph's room, her head in his lap, holding up a book to read while Glyph read his own. It as the most relaxed that Glyph had felt in a long time, and while relaxing and enjoying this quiet evening, in the back of his mind he was hoping for many more like this.

“Well?” she said teasingly.

“Well what?” he asked. “I'm waiting for you to tell me.”

“But I want you to ask.”

Glyph sighed theatrically and rolled his eyes with a big grin on his face. “Fine. What do you want to be called?”

“Brooke.”

“Brooke? Where did you get that name?”

“I read it in a book,” she said. “I like how it sounds. Do you like it?”

“It's pretty.” He smiled. “Just like you.”

She giggled cutely, and Glyph felt such love welling up in his heart.

“Brooke,” he repeated, tasting the name and getting used to it. “I do like it,” he said. “I think it really suits you.” He frowned suddenly, his brows drawing together. “Hold still,” he said, and reached towards her. “You've got something in your hair.”

She lay still while he plucked out the offending thing, a small scrap of paper. He held it up and looked at it curiously. “Wonder how that got in there,” he muttered. He glanced back down at her and saw her grinning up at him, her face lit up with amusement. “I'm sorry you have to put up with me picking at your body parts,” he said with mock chagrin.

Her smile grew wider. “I like you playing with my body parts.”

“I said 'picking at',” he corrected.

She gave him a coy look. “I heard what I wanted to hear.”