Don’t screw up

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she observed the ratchet in his hand. “Well, spill it. What’s that for?”

“For you. The way you’ve been carrying on lately, I suspected you might have a screw loose.”

“You do realize that’s for nuts and bolts, don’t you?”

They shared a chuckle, the tension breaking like a dam.

“So, you really think I’m mad?” she asked, her voice laced with a hint of mischief.

“Mad about you, absolutely.”

“Give me a real answer.”

He leaned in, his voice barely a whisper. “Yes. That’s what drew me to you. They say every mad woman needs a mature man, or the other way around. Otherwise, the Universe might decide to go back to a singularity.”

She burst into laughter, her eyes gleaming like stars. “Einstein said that?”

“Einstein was too busy with Physics. This is all about Chemistry.”

Her laughter echoed through the room, revealing a misshapen canine that had haunted his dreams since the day they met.

“You’re quite pessimistic about the Universe, aren’t you?” she teased.

“Why not? It’s filled with black holes, dark matter, and dark energy. Stardust is only dazzling when you shine light on it.”

“You’re like the Universe’s very own enigmatic force.”

He grinned, pleased by her ability to not only understand his humour but also play along.

“So, what’s the Chemistry part? Are we like an acid and a base or something?”

She smiled, her teeth now a dazzling display of symmetry.

“I think I’m the acid; I can still feel the burn from my coffee.”

“I warned you about having coffee on an empty stomach.”

“Yeah, yeah, but I’ll fact-check it on web later.”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“Buddha advised not to trust anything until I’ve verified it myself. Have you ever seen my forwarded Insta messages?”

She shook her head, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

He scratched his head with the ratchet, a gesture that seemed to embody his eccentricity.

“But if you tighten my loose screw, won’t I lose my insanity?”

Her eyes widened slightly, a hint of concern flickering in them.

“You’re onto something. Let’s not mess with Nature. Meanwhile, let’s just ignore the rattling sound in your head.”

She playfully swiped at his back, sending a jolt of electricity through his body. His spine tingled, and his heart raced, attempting to match the speed of light.

As she turned away, he caught a glimpse of her misshapen canine, and a surge of affection washed over him. She was imperfect, unpredictable, and utterly fascinating. She was his madness, and he was her anchor. Together, they were a force of nature, their chemistry as potent as the stars illuminating the night sky.

Or so he thought.

With a swift motion, she spun around, her eyes glowing with a bizarre intensity. She lunged at him, her hand gripping the ratchet, her intention clear.

He tried to react, but it was too late. She slammed the ratchet into his head with a sickening thud.

Stars burst in his vision, and the world around him blurred and faded. He felt a warm, sticky sensation trickling down his face.

As his consciousness slipped away, he realized with a chilling clarity that his eccentric girlfriend was more than just a little bit mad. She was insane. And she had just unscrewed him from his sanity.