Page 123 of Eternal
Shut up.
I stare at the screen, catching myself smiling before I can stop it. We’re going to talk again, and I’m stupidly excited to see her again.
This is a mistake.
I know it. I’ve always known it.
But I grab my keys anyway and the second helmet. Fuck mistakes. I want to see her, I really do.
34
AZRA
“Mind Over Matter” by Young The Giant
Present
Why did I say yes?
Why the hell would I say yes?
Is it because we talk a lot more now? Is it really talking, though? Just sending each other random pictures at dumb hours of the day, like it means something?
I don’t even know. Maybe it’s easier now, getting up early to train. It’s quiet at 5 AM. Nobody’s around to disturb me. I can move through all three complexes and not feel like I’m pushing too fast since the injury is finally healing.
It’ll leave a scar, but what’s one more? What’s one more scar going to change about the way I look?
And I know he trains at night. Still out there doing whatever small missions he picks up, but Vik’s been telling me to stay out of it until I’m better. He said it over dinner with Kat last night,and they both looked at me like I said something totally absurd when I mentioned the ice cream night with Damir.
Ice cream.
Vik shook his head like he couldn’t believe it, and Kat started applauding, giggling. I didn’t get it at first, but then I started overthinking.
He came. He brought me ice cream, did my hair, it was... soft. He even cuddled me until I fell asleep. Then he left. Why the hell does this sound like... we’re getting good at this? At being partners?
No.
I don’t trust him.
I spoke about my brother a little, enough for him to understand. But I was scared, scared that Damir would take that and use it against me. But why would he? He’s my partner. My fucking partner. So, I kept texting him. Kept it up, even when I wanted to stop.
And now... now I’m sitting next to him, eating my favorite burrito in the city. It’s quiet here, the bench overlooks the streets, the neon lights blur into shadows, everything feels a little distant from the chaos below. Peaceful... almost.
I pull my hoodie over my head and take another bite of food. Damir’s barely eating, he’s watching me.
“You gonna keep staring, or are you actually gonna eat?” I ask, my mouth half-full.
He tilts his head, lips twitching like he’s about to laugh. “You look nothing like your reputation in that.”
I glance down at myself, oversized hoodie, sweatpants, sneakers. Not exactly my usual attire. Comfortable. Warm. Soft.
“That’s the point,” I say, smiling through a bite of food. “It’s called blending in. Professional killer, remember?”
He hums, like he’s considering that. His eyes wander over me lazily. “Blending in?” He leans back, stretches one arm acrossthe back of the bench. “You sure you didn’t want an excuse to steal my hoodie again?”
It looked really comfortable, and tonight is a bit windy.And it smells like him.
I swallow, licking sauce off my lip. “Maybe.”
