Page 309 of Eternal

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I don’t move, the player lies cracked in the corner. I'm staying here, for hours, maybe.

The bruises swell, the ache sets in. I stayed home for weeks after that, maybe longer, time turns to mush.

There’s no music, no sunlight, no stars.Neverstars.

No Radiohead.

Only the sound of my own voice, when I cry into my sweatshirt so he doesn’t hear. So, she doesn’t scream.

No more kindness. No more dreaming of a bike.

Maybe he’s right, maybe I am like my mom, and maybe that means I deserve it.

I never see the boy again.

Never heard what was on that player, never even asked.

Because hope is bad, and music is hope.

So, I buryit.

I buryme.

87

DAMIR

“Roslyn” by Bon Iver, St. Vincent

Present

Azra is gone.

I woke up to an empty bed and a note.

“Thanks for the gloves. And the sex. And the laugh. Oh, and the not so platonic team bonding. See you soon, partner. -V.”

V.

Voron.

Not Azra.

But why am I smiling like an idiot?

I’ve been dodging my mission, breaking protocol only to stay with her a little longer. Now I want to stayforever, and I know I’m not supposed to.

She just left. No creaking door, no sound, the only thing left is the ghost of her presence in my sheets and a folded note on my chest.

I blink against the morning light and squint down at it.

Thanks for the gloves. And the sex. And the laugh. See you soon, partner.

I grin like an idiot. Thumb brushing her words but then my phone buzzes.

Lev

Status? You haven’t reported on the Voron thing.

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