Page 351 of Eternal
The front door creaks open. Vik steps onto the porch.
Kat stands beside me, arms folded like she’s curious to see how weird it’s going to look between us now.
Footsteps. A helmet pulled off. Then, his face.
He’s soaked, jacket clinging, hair wet, the usual ocean in his eyes softened.
He looks up, and sees us.
Seesme.
And smiles.
97
DAMIR
“Demons” by Imagine Dragons
Present
Istep inside, rain dripping off my entire body. The moment I see her, my chest twists with something stupid, like a teenager seeing his crush again, it’s so weird in the most intense way possible.
It’s only been a day, but I missed her.
She looks different, paler, and her eyes are a bit red like she’s been holding back tears.
Did she cry?
I tilt my head, about to ask if she’s okay, and I think she understands, because when she meets my eyes, she simply mouths, “I’m fine,” forces a small smile, then gets down and hugs Viktor and Kat without saying a word.
Viktor looks at me, silent but saying everything.Take care of her.
I nod.
That’s all I want to do.
Outside, the rain pounds down, I pull another helmet from my bag and hand it to her.
She takes it, letting me help her put it on.
“You sure you’re okay?” I ask again.
“Yeah,” she says softly.
“We’re going back home,” I say, hoping it feels like a promise.
She nods softly.
I reach into my jacket and pull out some food. “Have you eaten anything today?” I ask.
She shakes her head and lets out a small, “Not yet.”
Good thing I brought food then.
We climbed onto the bike together. “Leave your bike here. You’ll take it tomorrow,” I say.
She doesn’t argue, she nods again. She feels…tired. Maybe it was the meeting?
