Page 91 of Eternal
She was supposed to be the enemy, and I was supposed to end her.
But looking at her now, sitting there so carelessly, chewing the burrito like it was the most normal thing, I couldn’t stop thinking about how she looked so damnreal. I couldn’t stop looking at her eyes either. One a sharp green, the other a pale, almost ethereal blue.
They pulled me in, entranced me. I was never the kind to get attached to my targets. They were just files, just names, nothing real. But she actually feels like the most real thing I’ve ever confronted.
And that’s the problem.
I’m not supposed to feel this way. I’m not supposed to care.
I don’t know when it started, when I started seeing her as something more than a name. Maybe it was when I caught the blood on her cheek, or when her eyes met mine with that defiance, like she knew what I was, what I was sent to do.
But whatever it is, it’s fucking dangerous.
I’m complaining about it, and yet, here I am, sitting beside her, feeling something I’ve never felt for anyone.
A fucking human instinct, maybe. Something like...concern.
It’s pathetic. But it’s there. And I can’t shake it.
I stared at her, taking in her every movement, every small shift in expression. I could feel my heart beating a little faster with each passing second, and I hated it, but I didn’t stop.
“This place is pretty,” she said, looking around. “Calm, too.”
Yeah it’s pretty. She’s pretty.
It was peaceful up here, away from the noise of the city. I leaned back a little, then said, “Well, we could come here after every mission. Eat and rest. No one would bother us.”
She held my stare for a long second before nodding. “Okay. I like that idea.”
The words hit me harder than I expected, and for a moment, I froze. She… she actually wanted to spend time with me? That wasn’t part of the plan, none of this was.
I tried to cover it up, but my voice faltered a little. “Wait, youwantto spend time with me?”
She looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yeah. Why are you so surprised?”
I scoffed, a dry laugh escaping me. “I thought you hated me.”
She smiled, but it wasn’t a teasing one. It was softer than usual, something almost… affectionate.
“I don’t hate you. I don’t trust you. That’s different.”
Fair enough, she had every reason not to.
“Not that I like you either,” she said, taking another bite of her burrito. “It’s somewhere in between.”
“In between what?” I asked, but it was more for myself than for her.
She shrugged, not looking up. “Not liking. Not hating.”
“Why can’t you just say you like me?” I asked, watching her pick at her food like a tormented kid.
She paused, chewing slowly, before meeting my eyes, with the same detachment she always has when it comes to talking about something too emotional for her liking.
“Why should I?”
I leaned back, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t think liking someone means anything?” I asked, probing.
She shrugged, eyes dropping back to her food. “People always wanted me to like them,” she muttered. “Smiled at me.Promised things. Said the right words. But it always came with something. A price. A rule. A leash.”
