This time, it wasn't a chill that ran down my spine. This time, it was a vision.

Just a flash of an inkling of a hint of a face. Eyes. A smile. Sparkles.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," I said.

"Sorry I'm late," she said.

"Don't worry about it," I answered. "I wasn't even sure you'd be here tonight."

"I wanted to be here earlier," she explained, "but there were all these girls in my way."

I'd been expecting this.

"Those are just whores," I said. "You can go right by them."

"They looked mean," she said.

"It's all show," I explained. "They know who you are. What you mean to me. They'll get out of your way. And if they don't you can just go right through them. They're no match for you."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm positive," I answered. "They are nothing compared to you."

"Okay." She seemed relieved. "Did you miss me?"

"Only when I breathed," I responded.

She smiled.

I won again.