#enstars eden x reader

[seangelfish]

A/N: A text-fic reuploaded from my old blog (if anyone remembers). This has just been formatted differently, but the texts are the same. The add-ons are the short fics underneath each text(s). I thought it would be interesting to write the aftermath of these break up prank texts!

PRANKING THEM WITH A BREAK UP TEXT (EDEN)

Featured characters: Nagisa Ran, Ibara Saegusa, Hiyori Tomoe, Jun Sazanami

Tags: (Mild) angst to fluff, textfic to fic, established relationships

Word count: 1,502

Prompt/synopsis: Pranking the Eden members with a break up text (with aftermath)!

➽ NAGISA RAN

When the two of you were at the museum, the atmosphere was a little too tight. Nagisa kept lagging behind, although at first you thought he was just taking his time admiring all the art pieces. Was he perhaps still upset over your prank? He was smiling at you softly when he picked you up from your house, but now that the two of you were alone together, you finally realised the tension that little prank of yours had made.

"Nagisa," you said gently, taking his hand in yours. "I'm sorry..."

He was silent for a moment before responding with, "You've apologised countless of times already, (Y/N)... I forgive you."

"...But you're still upset, right? I could tell... You haven't looked at me once."

And you were right. He didn't look at you at all. His eyes were glued at the paintings on the wall as he avoided your gaze.

"You can read me well," he said softly. "That's one of the reasons why I love you, (Y/N)... So, when you sent me that text, I felt like my world shattered."

He squeezed your hand.

"We've been together for a while now, and I can't see myself with anybody but you." He turned to look at you. "(Y/N), if you're ever unhappy in our relationship, I would like you to tell me. I am willing to do anything it takes for us to work out until the very end."

Your eyes stung. He was finally looking at you again. Nagisa was concerned with your reaction, so he lifted your hand up to his lips as he kissed your palm.

"I'm sorry..." you quavered. "I love being with you, Nagisa. You're the one I'll ever love... You've been nothing but good to me... I'm sorry for playing that prank on you. I should've thought about your feelings before I did it."

He didn't care about that anymore. All he wanted was to see you smile. He hugged you carefully and your arms automatically wrapped themselves around his waist.

"(Y/N), I love you. Let's spend the rest of the day smiling, okay?"

Now that the tension was lifted, the two of you resumed your visit at the museum hand in hand. Nagisa would tell you his thoughts on some of the paintings, but out of all the art pieces in the museum, Nagisa thought you were the prettiest.

➽ IBARA SAEGUSA

Ibara wasn't mad at you for pulling that prank on him, but it did seem like he was kind of irked about it. Still, he baked you your favourite cake when he arrived home. He even bought you your favourite juice to have with the cake.

"Wow, Ibara, this is beautiful!" you commented, eyeing the cake he had just baked. "Thank you so much! Let's eat it together!"

You hugged him tight and he hugged you back automatically, but for some reason, it felt forced. When you let him go, he smiled at you sadly.

"I knew it was a prank," he began. "But are you sure you're happy in this relationship?"

That caught you off-guard. "O-Of course I am!" you stuttered, confused at the question at hand. "Ibara, I didn't play that prank on you because I was second-guessing our relationship... It was just a stupid prank, I'm sorry."

He didn't seem so sure. When you tried to hold his hands for reassurance, he didn't seem so keen to hold yours in return. His arms felt limp too as if he didn't want you to hold his hands to begin with.

"I mean..." he began. "You wouldn't pull that prank on me unless you were feeling off about us..."

"No, Ibara–"

"(Y/N), I truly do love you. Life is worth living for you. I won't bear it if we ever broke up," he confessed. "If you ever have any concerns about what I'm doing or not have been doing in our relationship, please tell me, okay? I'd like to improve. All I want is for you to be happy − for us to be happy together."

His words were so genuine that it made you tear up. It was not every day that Ibara would confess his words like this. He was so vulnerable right now compared to the replies he sent you through text. It was just a harmless prank to you, but to Ibara, it was more than that.

"I am being serious when I tell you this, Ibara, but I am truly happy in our relationship," you stated. "Despite your packed schedule, you've always made time for me, you were always so attentive and loving too. I never want to let you go."

He smiled at this. Bringing you back into his loving embrace as he stroked your hair between his fingertips. "Hahaha, alright! Enough talking about this. I want to spend the day with my lover on a happier note!" he announced, going back to his usual loud self.

➽ HIYORI TOMOE

Hiyori pinched your cheek playfully, but you could feel the anger in his action.

"You were so funny today, (Y/N)!" he exclaimed joyfully.

Oh, he was mad. Hiyori picked you up at 3 o'clock so that the two of you could visit the new bakery. He was hoping to spend the day with you, eating the desserts the establishment had to offer, but when you sent him that text, his whole mood shifted.

The tension he created lingered in the air despite the bakery's cosy atmosphere and your boyfriend's smile on his face.

"Hiyori... I'm sorry for playing that 'prank' on you..." you said carefully so that the ticking time bomb in him wouldn't explode. "Are you... No, you must be mad at me... I'm sorry."

His annoyance dissipated once he saw how remorseful you looked. He sighed as he took your hand to plant a soft kiss.

"It hurt, (Y/N)..." he admitted, looking at you sadly even if he was smiling right now. "I was so sure that I did everything right in this relationship. I was hoping that I didn't annoy you or something. I was even thinking that maybe you hated the way I clung onto you... but that's only because I love you so much...!"

He continued, "I honestly did not know what to say when you sent me that message. I tried to play it off, but my heart ached when I sent those replies. I'm glad it was a prank, but it just wasn't funny–"

"I know and I'm sorry!" you cried. The love he had for you was beautiful and genuine. You felt incredibly guilty for even trying to play that prank on him. "Hiyori, I'm sorry. I love you so much... I never want you to change the way you love me either..."

He smiled, genuinely this time. "Okay, okay, I forgive you~" he began. "Let's eat our pastries now!"

You nodded, but before you could pick up one of the tarts, Hiyori said, "Just so you know... you're the best I'll ever have too."

➽ JUN SAZANAMI

But he met up with you anyway. He ran over to the entrance of Reimei, only slowing down once he saw you waving at him so happily. The audacity that you have, to be so happy like this when he was just crying in front of his lockers.

"Jun!" you exclaimed, spreading your arms out for him.

He sucked it up though. He accepted your invitation and brought you into his embrace. You hugged him gleefully, but he wasn't feeling the same. Although his face was buried in the crook of your neck, he didn't feel as happy as he usually felt when you'd visit him at Reimei.

"Jun...?" you murmured, noticing the tension in the air. "Are you still mad at me...?"

He let you go. Now that you were able to see his face clearly, you realised how red and swollen his eyes were.

"Jun?! Were you crying?" you sputtered. "I'm so sorry! That was so stupid of me!"

He smiled at you, but it was obviously strained. "When you sent me that text, I really thought it was over for the two of us. I thought I might've done something wrong... or that I wasn't giving you enough attention. I never wanted you to be unhappy..."

"Jun..." you began. "You've been nothing but sweet to me. You make me happy everyday... I love you so much, you don't understand... I'm sorry for playing that prank on you."

Before he could say anything, you brought him into a deep kiss. It wasn't long, but it was passionate. Jun wasn't ready for it especially since he doesn't like kissing in public, but for the first time in forever, he wanted to kiss you again like this.

He was now looking at you lovingly, smiling at you lovingly. He hoped that the two of you would continue to love each other for a long time, but now, he was going to give you what you asked and came here for: a kiss — well, another one.

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

[manytoonepoet13]

TearS

Even the rain would be silent if one simply chose not to listen.

Or chose not to feel the pitter patters that leaked from the roof then onto the skin.

This vocal dream of a cry a concert only seen by the few who made the choice to look at the ripple that forms on the water's surface with each tear.

"Can you hear it?

Can you finally feel it?

Can you see my hand that reaches out to your heart?"

The strength of the crowd's cheer only made a heart so blue turn to the delicacy of it's other half.

The intricacies that adorned his clothes unmatched by a certain crystal-like piece...

A singular tear-drop jewel hanging on the mirror's corner that reflected your visage on it's watery surface.

The ripples akin to a staircase that guided you to him.

With each step a testament of how time created a story that surpassed classics...

The deep blue of the midnight's cries was embraced by the golden morning's arms.

Then was warmed by a bright red bonfire that was created by the very same hands that held the expressive heart in their palms.

Graced by the passionate emotions that heart's half is privy to.

Even the loquacious crowd fell silent at the sound of the rain as they looked at the man before them.

The dome that engulfed him shone with dim lights...

Until the moon decided to pay a visit and gave him it's spotlight.

The owner of the heart so blue looked amongst the crowd.

A certain visage already reflected on it's mirror's watery surface..

Even when he closed his eyes, his other half is what he sees...

"I can't help but let these emotions overflow as I think of you."

~~~~~~~~

[twilightpentagrams]

hello hello!! if ur still accepting reqs can i please request nagisa and his fem!s/o getting caught? (specifically by eden) please and thank you (loved the arashi fic btw lmao)

NAGISA X FEM READER : getting caught by eden

CW: nsfw, semi-public sex, oral (nagisa receiving), getting caught/walked in on, slight teasing (not from nagisa)

A/N: this request is like a very nice cold sip of water ive been itching to write eden for forever. i might continue this with a part two if i feel inspired. thank you for this great request.

you two, for the most part, are pretty good at being secret. with nagisa being an idol in eden, of all units, it is imperative that he keeps up his reputation.

sometimes -- it gets hard though. frenzied fucking after an important live, after a long and boring photoshoot, it was easy to get caught up in the passion.

mostly, it was quick blowjobs or feverish makeout sessions. desperately grabbing and touching the other, unaware of any surroundings.

nagisa is a rather quiet and private person, but if his partner wishes to show mild pda (within idol standards, of course), he wouldn't mind.

light touches shared between the two of you in public, just intimate enough for the other to feel loved but not suspicious enough to raise any attention. just friendly gestures, to the public eye.

the rest of eden was unaware of the relationship between you two, it was private business, as far as you two were concerned. you both knew each member of eden had their own flings and relationships, but it wasn't shared information between the unitmates (besides hiyori, who announced everything he did).

nagisa is not one for public sex, but he does find semi-public sex as well as teasing to be exhilarating, he enjoys the thrill of getting you off in common-place areas.

you sat on your knees, obediently licking stripes up and down your boyfriend's cock. you hummed softly, feeling the warmth fill your mouth. a comforting hand was nestled in your hair, giving you gentle encouragement to take him deeper, to bob your head quicker, to suck his cock like it was a lifeline.

nagisa wasn't massive, but he was long and skinny. you pumped your hand over the parts of his cock that your mouth couldn't reach, eliciting cute noises from the boy sitting on the chair infront of you. you felt your knees begin to bruise and ache. these damn practice room floors, you cursed yourself for not wearing thicker pants to soften the hard wooden floor.

you mewled around nagisa's length, savoring the salty taste of his precum and sweat that mixed together like a cocktail -- intoxicating. enough to make you feel drunk and dizzy. your mind swam with thoughts, mostly consisting of nagisa's name, the word please and feverish want and desire. you needed him, it had been far too long. you hadn't been able to even spare him passing glances in the cosmic production office or during his lives or photoshoots.

it was torture. how did long distance couples do it?

you continued sucking nagisa's cock, whining everytime he ran his slender fingers through your hair. it felt like heaven, having him grip onto your hair and the back of your neck like he was going to die -- he was so desperate -- you couldn't help but find it to be adorable.

your usually composed and aloof boyfriend, crumbling in your hands (mouth?) all because of a single blowjob. so cute. you couldn't throw too many stones, however, you knew that you were just as desperate.

desperate to taste him more, to feel him more, to kiss him, to have him fuck you like you would die if he didn't.

it was symbiotic, and also beautiful.

to say the past week was a long week was an understatement. it had been a difficult week, both you and nagisa had busy schedules that never seemed to align. meetings here, paperwork there, planning and agenda writing became a routine. one long and agonizing week of being horribly pent up, unable to get yourself off but unable to see your lover. no matter how many times you tried, late at night in your room, fingering yourself and trying to use the toys you had bought -- no release came. it only made you feel more pent up. it wasn't until the climax of the week, just shortly before eden's latest live, that you two were able to have a rendezvous in the practice room.

it felt great being able to taste him and feel the tip of his cock graze along the back of your throat. your could feel his length twitch in your mouth, his thrusts growing more erratic and un-rhythmic with the bobs of your head.

the other three members had yet to arrive to practice (you and nagisa arrived methodically early, just early enough to have a quick moment of passion, nothing more.), the two eve members always arrived with starbucks and cute pastries in tow, fashionably late. you knew that you two had time to release each other's pent up lust. it was strategic; arrive 15-20 minutes before practice was set to begin, see eachother, then be out before any other member would have arrived.

a perfect plan, except for unaccounted for variables.

such as: the rest of eden arriving early, chit-chatting amongst themselves before looking at you sitting right in the open in the practice room. watching you in full view.

on your knees with nagisa's cock down your throat.

you saw your boyfriend's face flush red, a bashful expression taking over his face as he jumped a little, inadvertently ramming his cock into the back of your throat which made your eyes sting with tears.

your eyes were already tearing up, feeling embarrassment rise through your body as the stares of the other eden members burned through you.

your embarrassment was cut short, however.

"ahaha~ is our little nagisa-kun all grown up now, what splendid weather~!" hiyori cooed, setting his drink down to put his hands on his cheeks in an exaggerated manner. the other two, jun and ibara, looked away from the sight they had walked in on, trying to look anywhere but their unitmate being sucked off.

you honestly could die just then.

nagisa, whether it be out of shock or embarrassment, twitched in your mouth then you felt hot and warm liquid splash on your tongue. it was salty tasting, but not unpleasant, and you swallowed before scrambling to your feet. your boyfriend did the same, putting his now-soft cock away into his boxers and zipping up his pants. you mumbled apologies to nagisa, who looked like he might just spontaneously disappear.

your boyfriend's unitmates just watched you get facefucked by their unit leader. this was absolutely not the plan.

as you walked towards the exit, shame filling up your body like wet sand in a bag, you heard a jubilant voice whisper to you.

"next time, producer, feel free to put on a little show for us, hmm? you looked real cute!" hiyori smiled, gesturing to ibara and jun who were desperately trying to ignore what they just saw.

you just nodded, before scrambling out the door and trying to forget that ever happened. you shot nagisa a "sorry, hope they don't tease you too much" text before heading back to your dorm.

[pipippizz]

been mega horny but… ur thoughts on a gangbang w/eden? i’m horn knee for everyone rn 💔

THIS IS SOME GOOD FOOD RIGHT HERE AW YEAH !!!! FUCK YEAH !!!

minors do not read or interact !!!!

gn reader — orgy , overstim , double penetration , praise , a little bit of choking and manhandling as a treat

so to start ; you are definitely not leaving the bedroom on your own two feet tomorrow. these four are gonna make sure you get the most of being the centre of eden's attention.

hiyori is surprisingly the most hands off, taking more of a leading role in making sure everything is going well and taking extra care to let you know just how good you are, how well you're taking everything, what a good little darling you are. he loves peppering your face with kisses and petting your hair, and if he gets to you first, he's stroking your sex until you're dripping enough to soak his hand (of course, he makes jun lick it clean).

jun himself is a lot more hands on. he loves to tangle his fist in the back of your hair and press your lips together, surprisingly more gently than expected. he's the one who cups your chest from behind and squeeze it while you're getting fucked, especially if he gets to be inside you. his groans are right in your ear so you know how great you feel for him.

ibara is the one who actually makes sure you're prepared for anyone to fuck you. he uses more than enough lube to stretch you out, taking his sweet time as the others warm you up. he starts with two fingers and moves up to four, the whole time pressing against your most sensitive areas so you're writhing beneath him. he won't fuck you himself, he prefers to watch while stroking himself, but that doesn't mean he won't kiss you so hard his tongue nearly goes down your throat when the others do.

nagisa is the base everything happens on top of. he's the first person to fuck you by letting you ride on top of him, bucking into you while guiding your hips with an iron grip. if you're lucky, maybe he'll pull out for jun to have a turn, but sometimes he won't. he praises you in turn with hiyori, more like idealizing you right in front of you while you're overwhelmed with pleasure.

what's most likely to happen is jun and nagisa fuck you at the same time, taking alternate turn thrusting while you straddle nagisa, jun firmly behind you. hiyori kisses your cheeks and neck while sometimes rubbing your sex, praising you the whole time and guiding you to stroke his sex. and ibara tangles his hand in your hair as he dominates your mouth with his, using his other hand to make you jack him off, too

[yandere-daze]

Congratulations on the 3k milestone!! Your writing is so lovely, you completely deserve it ❤️❤️

Could I request Shu and Ibara with a male or gn s/o out on a date and they offer to buy every thing Shu/Ibara even just glance at in shops? And despite the idols’ protests, s/o bought a good half of the things for them anyways. And the next day after the date, they find the rest of the stuff on their doorstep. S/o is just absolutely smitten for them, but does put in actual effort to the relationship besides materialistic matters. Thank you!

Heya, thank you!! ☺️ Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoy!

gn reader

no warnings

Buying out the whole store!

You´ve been dating Shu for quite some time and thus you´ve learned of Shu´s passion for the arts and anything that includes. You love watching him admire different fabrics in his favorite shops and listening to him rant about all the little details that make them special. You´re just happy seeing your boyfriend in his element and you can´t help but want to support him in his endeavors

Though Shu comes from a wealthy family, he doesn´t have a very good relationship with his parents and thus would hate having to call them up for any favors because he´s in need of money. Because of this, you would often have to watch him part ways with a certain piece of fabric he had been fascinated with or an especially beautiful antique doll that had caught his eye, muttering about how he would have to focus on what Valkyrie needs at the moment

You can see how painful it is for him to part with these things he clearly wants and so one day, you decide to indulge him as best as you can. You do have quite a lot of money to spend like this and there´s nothing else you would rather spend it on than making your boyfriend happy

So when Shu´s about to leave the collection of antique dolls that had been abandoned by their owners, shouting about how this is a giant tragedy? You pull him back by his hand and lead him back into the store, ignoring his little shout about why you´re pulling his hand like that

His eyes go wide when you walk up to the counter and cheerfully tell the store owner that you would like to buy all the dolls on display. He´s completely in disbelief, not sure that what he´s seeing is actually happening

He´s definitely happy to have the dolls, seeing as he really wanted them, but he will ask you if you really want to spend that much money on him. He´s a bit concerned but will utter that in his own Shu-way

"I cannot believe you bought all of these dolls just like that. Do you truly have enough money to be spending it like this? Well, I presume I am quite grateful that you would do this to me..."

He´s definitely blushing a bit when you reassure him that this is what you want to do with your money. You want him to be happy

He´s a bit awkward when he tells you that he would still love you even if you didn´t have this sort of money

Buying out the whole store!

If this had been anyone else, Ibara would have been very wary of the possible motives of buying him whatever he wanted. He would have taken as much advantage of the situation as he could while anticipating some kind of scheme the other person might be trying to pull. He´s well-versed in the business world and how crummy CEOs or investors operate and so he´s certain he would be able to see through a scheme like that. After all, who would ever spend a lot of money on someone without expecting anything in return?

You, apparently.

It had taken a long time for Ibara to come to terms with the fact that there were people who were looking out for him and wanting the best for him the goodness of their heart and not to get some sort of benefit out of it. Both Eden and of course you have become very important parts of his life, people that he could rely on and that he knows are on his side.

He doesn´t like to expose this vulnerable side to others though, his childhood in the military still making him averse to showing any kind of weakness to anybody. A weakness can be exploited.

And yet, when you walk up to him with a big smile on your face, telling him that you bought him the item he had secretly been eyeing all week, he can´t help but let a genuine smile slip as well.

The money wasn´t the issue. He would have been more than capable of buying it himself with the amount of money he had amassed running Cospro. But in this, it´s the thought that matters.

You had been paying attention to him, you had noticed what he had been interested in and you went out of your way to go back and buy it for him without expecting anything in return. You had truly spent a lot of money just now buying all these things for him, but for once the actual monetary value was not what mattered to Ibara

You had done that for him, not because of some ulterior motive, but because you wanted to do something nice for him.

It´s a foreign feeling to him, to know that someone genuinely wishes for his happiness every day, and the thought makes him feel weak.

But Ibara doesn´t mind feeling weak if he can be by your side

[hasumilvr]

☆⠀𓈒⠀Eden. - Their love language.⠀⠀꒱⠀⠀ 🌷 ⠀

୨୧ Wc : 1000+

I actually really love ibara and Hiyori they are so silly. Need to wrap Eden up with fluffy blankets like burritos

Nagisa R. - Quality time

｡˚ Nagisa… still needs some time to understand the concept of love… But his heart feels fluffy and warm everytime he sees your angelic smile, and he can’t help but be a little selfish – he loves spending time with you. Maybe that’s love, he tells himself.

｡˚ He promised to stay with you during your highs and lows, and man sticks to his words. When you’re busy with schoolwork or dealing with the menacingly large amount of paperwork on your desk, he stays with you. There’s a comfortable silence between you two – he doesn’t want to interrupt your work, afterall, but the slow and light breathing makes you know he’s there, he’s there for you.

｡˚ Nagisa always makes sure his weekends are work-free if possible! He wants to spend more time with you, no matter watching a movie while holding hands on the couch, going for a late night walk accompanied by the quiet footsteps of yourselves or reading a book while sipping on coffee, he wants you to know that he loves you by spending all the time in the world with you.

｡˚ Of course, it’s not just you who enjoys the company of your significant other. Nagisa finds himself relaxed and his tense shoulders hurt less when you’re here with him. It’s always a relief to see you after an entire week of a busy schedule, because things always get better when you’re with him.

｡˚ He’s not very good at expressing his love verbally, but as he strokes your hand softly while you rest your head on his lap, you know he adores and cherishes you. Do return the sentiment by giving him a kiss on his forehead, okay?

Ibara S. - Gift Giving

｡˚ Since Ibara is well known as a workaholic who wouldn't give up on starring at his computer until his own body gives him up, he can't spend that much time with you (which makes him slightly sad, not like he will admit though).

｡˚ But does that mean he doesn't love you? Definetly not. Ibara tries to squeeze in breaks from time to time just to see you and leave a kiss on your forehead, and when he can't, expect to find a little something from the producer by your bedside in the morning, with a little note taped on it.

｡˚ ''Sorry I can't spend the weekend with you again. This is a pack of sweets from the gift shop in the place Eden went for the promotional event last week, and I thought you might enjoy it. Have a good week, producer dono. Salute ~☆ ( ・∀・ )ゞ" says the note, with "Ibara Saegusa" delicately signed at the bottom right corner.

｡˚ Geez... Ibara's such an idiot. It's not like you don't understand how busy he is, but he still feels sorry for not being able to be by your side. Next time, please tell him you love him for who he is, and even if work keeps him away from you, your hearts are still connected.

｡˚ With that said, Ibara is the type to buy you gifts from time to time to make up for his absence from your side! It's usually something small but sweet - sometimes it's an omiyage from the placce he last visited for work, and sometimes it's a bag of tea leaves or coffee powder, because he knows you're running low on them. From the snake who is still learning how to express love and affection, you deeply treasure everything he gifts you, no matter how tiny or silly it is.

Hiyori T. - Words of affirmation

｡˚ As expected from the prince of love and sunshine, Hiyori loves praising you and showering you with vocabularies of love! He compliments your hair and your outfit you picked specially for your date with him, which makes your heart does a little dance - just so you know, he sees how much effort you put in your outfits during your dates, and appreciates how much you value your time together dearly. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

｡˚ ''Oh, my lovely sunflower, you look sooo lovely today! Well, you're lovely everyday, anyways! I missed you so much... Hiyori demands cuddles from his darling, right here right now!" He's childish and selfish when it comes to you. In a good way, though.

｡˚ Oooooo he showers you with so much words of love oooooooo it makes you blush from head to toe like a strawberry everytime he does it ooooooooo (which just gives him another reason to call you cute. The pink shade of blush really compliments the color of your outfit today, making you look so cute he wants to kiss you so badly.)

｡˚ When you're upset, he tries to talk to you to cheer you up! Communication is the key to everything, and the same goes for expressing love and affection - that's what Hiyori believes. He doesn't like seeing you sad, and doesn't want to cross your boundaries, so instead of giving you a tight high straight away, he asks what's wrong first, before listening attentively to what you have to say. It's then that you feel Hiyori's warmth from his two arms wrapped tightly around you, and soft whispers of ''It's okay''s and ''I love you''s.

Jun S. - Acts of service

｡˚ Jun's way of expressing love is special. He loves doing little things for you. A massage after a tiring day from work? He has your back! It's nothing too touchy, but he just wants you to know that he loves you from his actions - that he deeply cares.

｡˚ Sometimes you feel like you don't deserve him taking care of you. Little do you know that he enjoys doing so! Running errands with you, for example, is a great way for him to spend time with you. He gets a break from his work, and sees his favorite person. When he helps you carry the heavy grocerries you collect from the supermarket, he adores how cute you are when you try your best to carry them all on your own, then give in and let him take one of the bags.

｡˚ Jun isn't that good with words too, so he depends a lot on ''showing'' instead of telling. It's the frequent help he offers you that makes your heart skip a beat... Jun has a very gentlemanly side, especially when he's with you.

｡˚ He just really loves doing small things for you to brighten up your day, so don't feel embarrassed, yes? He loves you deeply and geniunely, and he thinks you deserve all of his love and devotion.

[tokusaatsus]

WHEN THERE’S A BUG IN YOUR ROOM

ft. itsuki shu, morisawa chiaki, otogari adonis, ran nagisa, saegusa ibara

© tokusaatsus 2022

warnings: bugs

Shu hears your call–Shu, can you come here, please–and comes to check on you, but you shouldn’t expect any help from him.

The minute he catches sight of the bug, he’s squawking indignantly. He’s not above using you as a human shield in this scenario. No matter how much he loves you, there’s absolutely nothing you can say that will convince him to go anywhere near that–in his words–disgusting insult to art.

Honestly, he’s just surprised you called him. His aversion to bugs might be even greater than yours, and that’s saying something.

He cowers behind you, and you’re trapped because now you have both a clingy boyfriend and a bug in your room and while your instincts are screaming at you to hide behind Shu, you still recall the piercing shrieks that came out of his mouth when you so much as implied placing him in the so-called line of fire.

In the end, the two of you end up calling Mika to take care of your little…‘home invader’, who’s unable to hold back his look of confusion when he enters your room and spots both you and Shu balanced awkwardly on a chair that was definitely not made to hold more than one person.

After hearing your call, please come quickly, I need your help, please, Chiaki doesn’t spare a moment before he rushes to your defence. Truly, he is embodying that heroic spirit he adores so much!

While he’s not usually one for bugs, finding them a little off-putting, he sets aside his fear in favour of helping you out. After all, a hero must be able to protect his loved ones to the best of his ability! And it’s true that he loves you very much.

Carefully, carefully, he scoops up the bug with a leftover magazine–his hands are shaking slightly all the while, but he refuses to admit it–and tosses it out the window.

When he’s completed his objective, there’s a moment of silence–he’s scouting to make sure the threat has truly left, so that you may relax in the knowledge that you are safe and secure once again–before he looks at you with a huge grin, clearly waiting for praise and affection. Wow, you were so amazing, Chiaki! My RYUSEI Red, my brave hero~ Once you say those magic words, he melts like ice-cream in the hot sun, a sappy look on his face.

Anything for his beautiful Y/N, of course!

Adonis is the kind of boyfriend that comes the minute you call.

He’s a little worried and concerned at first, because of how panicked you seemed over the phone. Your voice wavers at awkward moments, caught between a scream and a whimper. Adonis, please, come quick, I’m scared, I’m really scared.

When he shows up, however, and finds out that the cause of your distress is simply a small bug, he can’t help but feel slightly relieved. With the way you were acting, he was expecting much, much worse. Still, this is something he knows how to fix, and for that he is glad. Seeing you terrified causes an ache in his chest, and it is not something he would like to experience anytime soon. Adonis picks it up and deposits it outside, as easy as pie. When he returns, you tackle him in a hug and he runs a soothing hand down your back as you babble on about how terrifyingly huge the bug was and how close it was to you.

(In reality, it was rather small and barely anywhere near you, but if it makes you feel better, Adonis doesn’t mind playing along with this little white lie, patiently comforting you all the while.)

When you call Nagisa, he’s confused at first.

Of course, Nagisa would never say no to spending more time with you, yet you sounded strangely choked up over the phone, Nagisa, can you come over here, quick, I need you right now. He enters your dorm, surprised to find you cowering in the corner.

When you point out the perpetrator, he can’t help but smile at your antics. It’s an easy task for him to simply remove the bug from the premises with his bare hands, but you look at him with incredibly wide eyes when you watch him and he can’t help but bask in your attention. It’s always nice to have you look at him.

He returns to a hug and a tearful recount of how you were so scared. He soothes you, calmly patting your back as you ramble on and on. You go on to explain how you called because you always feel better when he’s around, and his heart bursts. You inform him that this may become a regular occurrence, and he smiles at you.

He’s not entirely sure what use he would be, yet it warms his heart to think that you would trust him with matters such as these.

When Ibara first hears your call, filled with barely concealed panic, he won’t deny the worry that surges in his stomach. Ibara, please, come quick, I… Oh, god, I can’t…I’m scared, Ibara. It only intensifies when your call is cut off with an abrupt scream of pure terror.

For a moment, he’s terrified that his worst fears have come true and you’ve been caught in the crossfire of one too many plots gone wrong. He spares not a single second, abandoning everything and anything from meetings to paperwork to go check up on you. Of course, when he finds out that all your drama was due to a simple bug, you can expect him to be the slightest bit annoyed.

There’s not a moment of hesitation as he squashes it, all the while looking at you with an unimpressed expression, as if to say, really? That’s what you were terrified of? Yet when he notices your tears, he is quick to calm you down, gently holding your hands to ground you as speaks rationally and logically to talk you out of the spiral you may have found yourself falling into.

My saviour, you proclaim him to be, and Ibara won’t lie to say that makes him feel the tiniest amount of pleasure when you say those words.

notes!

WC: 1k words

reze txt inspired by true events that happened to me yesterday evening. there was a huuuge bug in my room and me and my sister spent 20 mins panicking about how to get rid of it b4 it made the decision for us by simply. flying away :’) all the while i was thinking that i would reaaaally appreciate having a bf who could get rid of bugs for me and boom. fic idea.

taglist: @prpne​ @gabirii​ @kazemiya​ @engurishu​ @kkomaism​ @ophanem​ @mikctp​ @lilikags​ @lolthia​ @unwantedsleep (urls in bold cannot be tagged!)

[esidolmail]

To Ibara Saegusa:

"Thoughts on being called mommy?" -Aeri

For @enchantedmirage

[valeriele3archives]

Eden

☆彡 Hiyori Tomoe

☆彡 Ibara Saegusa

☆彡 Nagisa Ran

☆彡 Jun Sazanami

<- Cospro Masterlist

[poetryandfluffycats]

Imagine getting gangbanged by Eden while Rabbit Hole is playing (and coincidentally your also wearing a bunny suit)

they bouta fill up your rabbit hole or what

[redspaade]

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ - 𝟶.𝟸 sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅs

ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴡʀᴏᴛᴇ ᴛʜ��s ʙᴀᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴅᴇᴄᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴏғ 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟸 ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ɪᴛ sᴏ ʜᴇʀᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs! [ᴀʟsᴏ, ɪ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ɴᴏᴡ ᴏɴ!]

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪ

ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴄᴏs-ᴘʀᴏ ғᴏʀ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ᴀs ᴀ ғʀᴇᴇʟᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏғ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴘʟᴇɴᴛʏ ᴏғ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴅᴏʟ ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀʏ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅʟʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ. ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ sɴᴀᴋᴇ.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴠɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋғᴀsᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀғᴇᴛᴇʀɪᴀ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ɢᴇᴛ sᴏᴍᴇ ғᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ʙᴜsᴛʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ sɪɴᴄᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ʟᴜɴᴄʜ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

“ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ ᴛᴏᴏ ɪ sᴇᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴜsᴜᴀʟʟʏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴄᴀғᴇᴛᴇʀɪᴀ ғᴏᴏᴅ.”

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ sᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʜᴇ’s ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʙᴇᴇɴ ʀᴇʟɪᴀʙʟᴇ ᴀs ғᴀʀ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ.

“ʏᴇᴀ, ᴍʏ ᴀʟᴀʀᴍ ᴄʟᴏᴄᴋ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ɢᴏ ᴏғғ sᴏ ɪ ᴡᴏᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ ʟᴀᴛᴇ. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋғᴀsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ.”

“ᴀʜ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴡʜʏ.”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴏᴏᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴛ ᴀ ᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴀʀᴅᴇɴ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴇ sɴᴏᴡ ɢʟɪsᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ʙʀᴀɴᴄʜᴇs ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴘᴜʀᴇ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ɪᴄᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴘɪɴᴇs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴅᴇᴄᴏʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs ᴏʀɴᴀᴍᴇɴᴛs ᴏғ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴄᴏʟᴏʀs. ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪɢʜᴛs ᴡʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜɴᴋs ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴇs sʜᴏɴᴇ ʙʀɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ғᴀɪʀʏᴛᴀʟᴇ.

“ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ, ɪsɴ’ᴛ ɪᴛ?” ᴊᴜɴ sᴀɪᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴘᴜʟʟɪɴɢ ʜɪs ʏᴀᴋɪᴛᴏʀɪ ᴏғғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴍʙᴏᴏ sᴛɪᴄᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴛᴇᴇᴛʜ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪs ᴍᴜғғʟᴇᴅ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀs ʜᴇ ᴀᴛᴇ ʜɪs ғᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ. ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀsᴛᴏɴɪsʜɪɴɢ.

ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏs-ᴘʀᴏ ᴏғғɪᴄᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴘʟᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ɪʀʀɪᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴ ᴊᴜɴ’s ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴀᴜɢʜ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛʟʏ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟ�� ʜɪs ᴍᴏᴏᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ.

“ᴊᴜɴ! ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ!” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ, sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ? ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢs ɪɴ ʜᴀʟғ ᴀɴ ʜᴏᴜʀ. ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛʜᴇɴ.” ᴊᴜɴ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ʙʟᴀᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ.

“ᴏʜ, ᴊᴜɴ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴɢʀʏ ɪ ɪɴᴛᴇʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏ/ɴ?” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ɪɴ ᴀ ᴛᴇᴀsɪɴɢ ᴛᴏɴᴇ. ʜᴇ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀʟʏ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴊᴜɴ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴏ. ᴊᴜɴ ᴡᴀs ʙᴇᴇᴛ ʀᴇᴅ.

“ɪᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ! ᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʏ/ɴ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs!”

ʜᴇ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ sᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ sᴄᴏʟᴅɪɴɢ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛᴇᴀᴅɪʟʏ ᴛᴇᴀsɪɴɢ ᴊᴜɴ.

ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏғғɪᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ sʜᴏʀᴛ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴄʜᴇᴅᴜʟᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ɪᴅᴏʟ ᴜɴɪᴛs ᴀᴛ ᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴄɪᴘᴀᴛᴇ ɪɴ. ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ‘ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟsᴛɪᴄᴇ’ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴄʟᴜsɪᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ sʜᴏᴡᴄᴀsᴇ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs sᴏɴɢs sᴜɴɢ ʙʏ ᴜɴɪᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴄʟᴜsɪᴠᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡɪɴɴᴇʀs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ʀᴀғғʟᴇ.

“ɪs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ?” ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ sᴏᴍᴇ ғɪʟᴇs ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsᴋ.

“ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟsᴛɪᴄᴇ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴏʀɢᴀɴɪᴢᴇᴅ? ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ ɪᴛ ʜᴀsɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ʏᴇᴛ.” ʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴍᴀssᴀɢɪɴɢ ʜɪs ᴛᴇᴍᴘʟᴇs.

ʜᴇ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ sᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɪs ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ, ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋs ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀғғʟᴇ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ sᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴡɪᴛʜ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀs ғᴏʀ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴄʟᴜᴇ. ɪ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴘᴏᴘᴜʟᴀʀɪᴛʏ. ᴀʟsᴏ, ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴘʟᴀɴs ᴏɴ ᴏɴʟʏ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ 𝟷𝟻𝟶 ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴡɪɴ ɪɴ ᴛᴏᴛᴀʟ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀɪᴇs. ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ sᴏ ғᴀʀ.”

ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ sʜᴏᴄᴋ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴀsᴋ ʏᴏᴜ. ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ sᴏ ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴀ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴀʙʟᴇ sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ.

“ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ? ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ɪ'ʟʟ ᴛʀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀɴ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴄᴏs-ᴘʀᴏs ᴜɴɪᴛs ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.” ʜᴇ sᴍɪʟᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs sɪɢɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ sᴀʟᴜᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ sᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴄʟᴏsɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴛᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴜɪʟ��ɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ sᴏʟsᴛɪᴄᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʜᴀs ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇʟʏ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀssɪsᴛɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴅᴇɴ, sᴘᴇᴄɪғɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ ɪs ʙᴜᴛ, ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ ʜᴀʙɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ sᴛᴀʀᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ? ᴇᴠᴇʀ sɪɴᴄᴇ ʜᴇ’s ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇʟᴀx ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʜɪᴍ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴊᴜɴ ᴄᴀʟʟs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ, sɴᴀᴘᴘɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʏ/ɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ’s ᴜᴘ? ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ 𝟻 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs.”

“ᴜʜ. ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ. ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ.” ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ sᴘᴀᴄɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴀʙʟᴇ.

ᴊᴜɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴀᴡᴇ. ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴄʀᴜsʜ.

“ᴡʜᴏ’s ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ɢᴜʏ?” ᴊᴜɴ ᴛᴇᴀsᴇᴅ. ʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ.

ʏᴏᴜ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴜᴍ… ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ.”

“ʜᴇʏ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ. ɪ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇ ɪ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ғᴜɴ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ.”

“ᴊᴜɴ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ.”

“ɪ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ.”

“ɪ ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴛɪɴʏ ᴄʀᴜsʜ ᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs ɪɴ ᴇᴅᴇɴ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛᴇʀ.

“ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ɪᴛ’s ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ.”

“ɪᴛ ɪsɴ’ᴛ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsᴇ.

“ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜᴏ..?”

ᴛʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴅ.

“ʏ/ɴ… ɪᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴇ. ɪs ɪᴛ?”

ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ.

“ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ.”

ʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʀᴇʟɪᴇғ. ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪs ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsᴇ.

ᴛʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ.

“ʏ/ɴ. ɴᴏ. ʜᴇ’ʟʟ ʜᴜʀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ʜᴇ ɪs ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ, ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ғᴀʟʟ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ.”

“ᴊᴜɴ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ɪᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʜɪᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.”

“ʏ/ɴ…”

“ɪ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ ᴊᴜɴ, ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇʟʏ ғᴀʟʟ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ɪᴛ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ sɪʟʟʏ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴄʀᴜsʜ, ɪᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ’s ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏғғ.

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪɪɪ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴜᴛᴅᴏᴏʀ ʜᴇᴀᴛᴇʀ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʀᴇᴀ ʜᴀs ʙᴀsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʀᴇʟᴀxᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴜᴛᴇʀ sᴄʀᴇᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀᴡ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴇᴡ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜsᴛʟɪɴɢ sᴛʀᴇᴇᴛs ᴏғ ᴛᴏᴋʏᴏ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ʟɪғᴇ ɪᴛsᴇʟғ.

ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴠᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴡ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀs ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʀᴇsᴜᴍᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ.

“ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ʏ/ɴ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴡᴀʀᴍ sᴍɪʟᴇ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢɪɴɢs.

“ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀsᴋ, ɪs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ɪ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ?” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ.

“ɴᴏ, ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴛʜᴜᴍʙs ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ɢʀɪɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀʀ.

“ʏ/ɴ ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴀᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜs ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ? ᴜɴʟᴇss ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴏғғᴇʀᴇᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ.

“ᴀʜ, ᴡᴇʟʟ sᴜʀᴇ. ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ, sᴏ ᴡʜʏ ɴᴏᴛ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ sᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ sᴇᴀᴛ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴs ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴅᴇɴ ᴘᴏʀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏʟsᴛɪᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ғᴀsᴛᴇʀ sᴏ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴡᴀs ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ.

ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴘᴏᴠ

ɪ’ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴇᴇɴ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ sᴏ ᴄʜᴇᴇʀғᴜʟ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ. ʟᴇᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴀ ᴡᴏᴍᴀɴ. ʜᴇ’s ʙᴇɪɴɢ ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ɪᴛ’s ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴀ ʜᴏʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ. ғᴏʀ ᴜsɪɴɢ sᴜᴄʜ ᴀ sᴡᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ sᴇᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴛʀᴀᴘ. sʜᴇ’s ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴀɴ ᴇғғᴇᴄᴛ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ.

ᴛʜɪs ɪs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ. ɪ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ғᴏʀ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ. ᴏʀ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ? ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀɴᴅʟᴇ ʜɪs ᴏᴡɴ. ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғᴀɪᴛʜ ɪɴ ʜɪᴍ.

ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴘᴏᴠ

“ɪʙᴀʀᴀ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ᴄᴏʟʟᴇᴀɢᴜᴇ. “ɪ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ɪ sᴀɪᴅ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ. ɪ’ʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ.”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ. ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ᴄᴏɴғᴜsᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ sᴇɴᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴏғғ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴡᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴍɪɴᴅᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴅ ʀᴇʜᴇᴀʀsᴀʟ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ.

ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀғᴇᴛᴇʀɪᴀ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏᴏᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ.

“ᴍʀ. sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ, ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ʙᴜᴛ ᴍʀ. ᴛᴇɴsʜᴏᴜɪɴ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏ�� ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜᴏʟᴅ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ‘ғᴇsᴛɪᴠᴀʟ’ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀғғ ᴀᴛ ᴇs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛs. ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅ.”

“ᴡᴇʟʟ, sɪɴᴄᴇ ɪ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇʜᴇᴀʀsᴀʟ ɪ ɢᴜᴇss ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅ ᴛᴏɴɪɢʜᴛ.” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴᴅᴇᴅ.

ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. “ᴡɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ?”

ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ɪᴛ’s ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ? ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇɴsᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇʟᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴏɴʟʏ sᴀʏ ʏᴇs.

“sᴜʀᴇ, ɪᴛ sᴏᴜɴᴅs ғᴜɴ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴀ ᴛʜᴜᴍʙs ᴜᴘ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀ ʙᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏғғ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀ sᴍᴀʟʟ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇ.

“ʜᴍ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ’s sᴏ ғᴜɴɴʏ?” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪs ᴛᴀʙʟᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ.

“ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ғᴜɴɴʏ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɪɴᴛɪᴍɪᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴄᴇ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴇʏᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ.

ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ɪɴ ᴀᴡᴇ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴘᴏᴠ

ᴡᴇʟʟ ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴇʏᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴘᴜʀᴘᴏsᴇʟʏ. ᴡʜʏ ᴅɪᴅ sʜᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴏ ғᴜɴɴʏ? ʜᴇʀ sᴍɪʟᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ. ɪᴛ sᴜɪᴛs ʜᴇʀ. ᴡᴀɪᴛ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ? ɴᴏ,ɴᴏ,ɴᴏ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴍ ɪ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ? sʜᴇ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴀᴡɴ. ɪ ᴡᴏɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴜsᴇ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɢᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ.

ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ sᴍɪʟᴇ. ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏᴇs ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ғᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs? ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ? ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪɴᴇss ᴏɴᴇ ʙɪᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ, ᴜsɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ, ɪ ғᴇᴇʟ ɢᴜɪʟᴛʏ. ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʟᴀɴ ғᴀɪʟ.

ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴘᴏᴠ

-ᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴋɪᴘ- ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴅᴀʏ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsᴋ ғɪɴɪsʜɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪɴᴀʟ ᴘᴀᴘᴇʀᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ᴊᴜɴ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʏ/ɴ.”

“ᴏʜ, ᴊᴜɴ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ?”

“ɴᴏ, ᴡᴇʟʟ ʏᴇᴀ, ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏɴɪɢʜᴛ?”

“ʏᴇᴀ. ᴡʜʏ?”

“ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴏ?”

“ᴜʜ, ʏᴇᴀ? ᴡʜʏ.”

“ʏ/ɴ…”

“ᴊᴜɴ, ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ.”

ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsᴋ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ.” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴄᴀsᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴏғғ.

“ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ?” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ, ʀᴏʟʟɪɴɢ ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs.

“ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴜᴄʜ, ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. sᴏ ʏ/ɴ, ᴡʜᴏ’s ᴛʜɪs “ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴏ”. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴊᴜɴ.” ʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀsᴇᴅ.

“ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ-“

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴜᴛ ᴊᴜɴ ᴏғғ.

“ɴᴏ,ɴᴏ ɪ’ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ, ɴᴏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴏ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛɪᴠᴇ.”

“ɪʙᴀʀᴀ?” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴛɪʟᴛɪɴɢ ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ.

“ʏᴇᴀ, ᴡʜʏ?”

“ʏ/ɴ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ? ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ?” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ.

“ᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ? ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ. ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴏʀᴇ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀssᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ.

“ʏ/ɴ…”

“ᴊᴜɴ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ sᴏ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ. ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ʜᴏᴜʀs ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡᴇ’ʟʟ ʙᴏᴛʜ ɢᴏ ʜᴏᴍᴇ.”

“ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴇʏ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ɪɴᴛᴇʀʀᴜᴘᴛᴇᴅ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ ɪғ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ sᴀʏs sᴏ ɪᴛ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ.” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴀɢʀᴇᴇᴅ.

ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟻 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴇsᴋ.

“ᴀʜ, ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴡᴇʟʟ, ʟ/ɴ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ?” ʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴘᴜᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜɪs ᴄᴏᴀᴛ.

“ʏᴇᴀ, ɪ ᴀᴍ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ sᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜsʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜᴀɪʀ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ sᴀɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴏᴏᴅʙʏᴇs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴇᴅᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪɴɢs.

“ᴊᴜɴ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴀᴅᴅʀᴇssᴇᴅ.

“ʏᴇᴀ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ?”

“ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʏᴏᴜ?”

“ᴛʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ᴄʀᴜsʜ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴍ? ʏᴇᴀ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʜᴇʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ sᴛᴏᴍᴘᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.”

“ɴᴏ ᴊᴜɴ. ʜᴇ ғᴇᴇʟs ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ.”

“ɴᴏ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ɪs.”

“ᴊᴜsᴛ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴊᴜɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.”

“ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴀғᴇ.”

“ᴡᴇʟʟ ʜᴏᴡ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡᴇ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏᴏ, sᴏ ᴡᴇ ᴄᴀɴ sᴇᴇ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ʜᴍ?” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴘʀᴏᴘᴏsᴇᴅ.

“ғɪɴᴇ.”

“ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜɴ! ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ!”

ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ɪɢɴᴏʀᴇᴅ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ’s sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ. —————————————— ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ɪɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟷𝟶 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴀɪᴛᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴏʙʙʏ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʟᴅ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴀs ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪsᴛᴜʀʙ ʜɪᴍ sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴀɴᴅ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғɪᴅɢᴇᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴜsʏ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟹 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴡ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴇxɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʟᴇᴠᴀᴛᴏʀ.

“ʏ/ɴ! ɪ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ.” ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ. “ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏᴏ sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ…” ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ, ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ sᴏ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟʏ ᴛᴜʀɴ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴ ᴏғғᴇʀ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ.” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ʙɪᴛᴛᴇʀʟʏ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪs ᴛᴇʀʀɪғʏɪɴɢ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴜʜᴍ, ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ɪs sᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ. ᴡᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴇᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ.” ʏᴏᴜ sᴀɪᴅ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴsᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ.

“ʏᴇs, ɪ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʟ/ɴ.” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀs ʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴏᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜsʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʜɪs ᴄʜᴀɪʀ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs.” ᴇɪᴄʜɪ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀs ʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғғ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ ᴀs ʜᴇ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ᴏғғ ʜɪs ɢʟᴀssᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʟᴇᴀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴄʟᴇᴀɴɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴏᴛʜ.

“sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ…ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅʟʏ.

ʜᴇ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ sᴇᴇᴍs sᴛʀᴇssᴇᴅ ᴀs ɪᴛ ɪs. ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴘ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ.

ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʜɪs ғᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀs. sᴏ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴜɴғᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʀ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇʟʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪs ᴡᴇʟʟ-ʙᴇɪɴɢ.

“ʏᴇs, ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴇ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟʟ ᴡɪʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ sᴏᴏɴ.” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ. ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ᴜsᴜᴀʟ ᴛᴏɴᴇ. ʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛ. ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴇᴇ ʙᴀɢs ʙᴇɢɪɴ ᴛᴏ ғᴏʀᴍ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴀssᴜʀᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ғɪɴᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴍᴇʟʟ ᴏғ ғʀᴇsʜ ᴘɪɴᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇs ᴘʟᴀᴢᴀ ᴡᴀs ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʟɪɢʜᴛs. ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜɴᴋs ʜᴀᴅ ʟɪɢʜᴛs ʜᴀɴɢɪɴɢ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏɴᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴏ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ғᴏᴏᴅ sᴛᴀɴᴅs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʙᴜsᴛʟɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇs sᴛᴀғғ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀʟsᴏ ᴀ ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴢᴀ ʜᴜɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ʟɪɢʜᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴏʀɴᴀᴍᴇɴᴛs. ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴇᴇ ᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴏʀᴍᴏᴜs sᴛᴀʀ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀsᴛᴏɴɪsʜɪɴɢ. ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ғᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ? ɪᴛ’s ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ. ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴏᴜᴛᴅɪᴅ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴛʜɪs ʏᴇᴀ��.

“ᴡᴏᴡ…” ɪs ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴜsᴛᴇʀ.

“ɪᴛ ɪs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ. ɪsɴ’ᴛ ɪᴛ?” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ.

“ʏᴇᴀ, ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɪs.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʏ/ɴ! ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ!”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀɴᴢᴜ. ᴀʟᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ.

“ᴏʜ, ʜᴇʏ ᴀɴᴢᴜ.” ʏᴏᴜ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ

ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀʟᴇ sᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ. ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴄᴏɴғᴜsᴇᴅ.

“ʏ/ɴ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɴᴇᴇᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀsᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ.” ᴀɴᴢᴜ sᴛᴀᴛᴇᴅ.

“sᴜʀᴇ, ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɪᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ.

sʜᴇ ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴀʀ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀɴᴅs.

“ᴀɴᴢᴜ! ɪ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ. ɪ ᴀᴘᴏʟᴏɢɪᴢᴇ.” ʏᴏᴜ sᴀɪᴅ ɪɴ ᴀ ʀᴜsʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏɴᴇ.

“ɪᴛ’s ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.” ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ғɪxɪɴɢ ʜɪs sᴄᴀʀғ.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɪᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴇᴅ.

“ɪ’ᴠᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ sᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴏɴʟʏ ғᴏʀ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. sᴏ ᴡʜʏ ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ? ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ?!” sʜᴇ ᴡʜɪsᴘᴇʀᴇᴅ.

“ᴅᴀᴛᴇ? ɴᴏ,ɴᴏ ᴡᴇ’ʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀs ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇᴄʜɴɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ sᴏ…” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

“ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs! ᴅɪᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋ ʜɪᴍ?” sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴡʜɪsᴘᴇʀɪɴɢ.

“ɴᴏ, ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ. ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ sᴏ ɪ’ᴍ ғɪɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴄᴀsᴜᴀʟʟʏ.

“ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ ʏ/ɴ.” sʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴛᴏɴᴇ. “ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ'ᴠᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴡʜᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ ᴏʀ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡᴏʀᴋ, ɪ’ᴠᴇ sᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ. ʜᴇ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴀxɪᴍᴜᴍ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ.” sʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅʟʏ.

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴅs ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ‘ʜᴇ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ.’ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴠᴇʟᴏᴘᴇᴅ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ᴄʀᴜsʜ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs. ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴀᴄᴛs ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ. ʜᴇ’s ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴜғғ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴊᴜɴ ᴀʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ʜᴇ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ.

“ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴢᴜ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ.” ɪs ᴀʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴜsᴛᴇʀ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢsᴛ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

“ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴅɪᴅ sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ ɢᴏ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛ.

“ᴏʜ, ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ʜᴇ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴀʏ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ.” ᴍᴀᴏ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ.

“ᴏʜ, ᴜʜᴍ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. ᴡᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs ɪ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ғɪɴᴇ ᴏɴ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ!” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀssᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴏғғ.

ᴀs ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴄᴀʟʟ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ғʀᴏᴍ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ.

“ʟ/ɴ! ɪ’ᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɪᴛᴇᴅ. ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀ ᴏғғ.” ʜᴇ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴀs ʜᴇ ʜᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ʜᴏᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ɢɪᴠɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴍᴜɢs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜᴅɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴇs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴᴇᴅ ɪs ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ.

ʙᴜᴛ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴀs…sᴍɪʟɪɴɢ? ɴᴏᴛ ʜɪs ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ɢʀɪɴ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇʟʏ sᴍɪʟɪɴɢ.

ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪs, ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇʟʟ ᴅᴇᴇᴘ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴜɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴀᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ɪɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’s ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏᴜᴛ.

“ᴛʜᴀɴᴋs sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ! ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛᴀᴋɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪs ʜᴀɴᴅs. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ʀᴇᴅ ᴛɪɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜᴇᴇᴋs. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇs, ʜᴇ sᴀᴡ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴄᴜᴛᴇ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴘᴏᴠ ɪs sʜᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ sʜᴇ’s ᴄᴏʟᴅ ᴏʀ ɪs ɪᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ. ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ, ɪᴛ’s ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴀʙʟᴇ. ᴡᴀɪᴛ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ? ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇʀᴇ ɪ ᴀᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴡᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs sʜᴇ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇ? ɪ… ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ? ɪ’ᴍ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ sʜᴇ’s ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. ɪs ᴛʜɪs ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ? ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴜᴛ… ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍs ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʀɪɢʜᴛ,ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ɪ’ᴍ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ. ᴀʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ɪ?

ᴇɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴘᴏᴠ

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴛs. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪɴɢs.

ʜᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴇᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜs. ᴛʜᴇ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴛᴏᴘ.

ʏᴏᴜ sᴍɪʟᴇᴅ. ʜɪᴍ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ sᴍɪʟᴇ ᴡᴀs ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ. ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴇ’s ғᴀʟʟᴇɴ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ sᴇᴇᴍ ʙᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ɪᴛ. ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴇɴᴊᴏʏɪɴɢ ɪᴛ.

ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ʀᴇɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴇxᴛʀᴀᴠᴀɢᴀɴᴛ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴏɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ. sɪɴᴄᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴏᴘᴇɴ ғᴏʀ sᴛᴀғғ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ.

ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴛ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ғʀᴏᴍ ʜɪᴍ.

ɪᴛ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ᴄᴏᴜᴘʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛs ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴇɴᴇʀʏ.

“ʟ/ɴ? ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ? ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ…” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅʟʏ.

“ᴏʜ… ᴜʜᴍ, ɪ’ᴍ ᴋɪɴᴅ ᴏғ ᴀғʀᴀɪᴅ ᴏғ ʜᴇɪɢʜᴛs…”

“ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜʏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴏɴ?” ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴅᴜᴍʙғᴏᴜɴᴅᴇᴅ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ, ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴇᴡ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ’s ɴᴏᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ʟᴏɴɢ sᴏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀɴᴅʟᴇ ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ 𝟻 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ᴏғ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ʜɪɢʜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀɪʀ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ʟɪɢʜᴛs.

sᴛᴏᴘ.

ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴅᴇ. ɪᴛ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴛ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ ᴏɴ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴇᴀᴋᴇʀs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ, ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ.

“ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴ ɪssᴜᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴɢɪɴᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟸𝟶 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs.” ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴅᴇ sᴀɪᴅ.

“ᴏʜ ɢᴏᴅ.” ʏᴏᴜ sᴀɪᴅ, sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ.

“ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴇᴄᴋ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʙʀɪɴɢɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ.” ɪʙᴀʀᴀ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴛᴀᴅ ʙɪᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ.

ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs. ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇʟsᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs.

ᴛʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ. ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴛᴜᴄᴋ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ғᴇʟᴛ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ. ʟɪᴋᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʙɪɢ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.

“ʜᴇʏ, ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ʙʟᴜʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ. ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴀᴛ’s ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ.

“ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ?” ʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀs ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғɪx ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴɢɪɴᴇ ᴅɪsɢᴜsᴛᴇᴅ.

“ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ. ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ. ᴀɴʏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ǫᴜɪᴛ ᴏʀ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴇss. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ’ᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴀʙʙʟᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴀʏɪɴɢ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴀɪᴅ ɪᴛ.

ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ. sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇᴅ. ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ʜᴀs ᴇᴠᴇʀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴍᴀᴢᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴅᴀʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ sᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ.

“ᴡᴇʟʟ” ʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ. “ɪ ɢʀᴇᴡ ᴜᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴀᴍᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴏғ sᴛʀᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ. ɪ ɢᴜᴇss, ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ.” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

“ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴛɪʀᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜɪᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴇʟʟ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙʀɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ ʙᴜᴛ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪғ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs. ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴏғғ ᴛʜɪs ʜᴏʟɪᴅᴀʏ. ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ. ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ sᴜʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ᴇᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛᴏ sᴛᴀʏ ɪɴ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ sʜᴀᴘᴇ ʙᴜᴛ… ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ sʟᴇᴇᴘ ᴏʀ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ. ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴛᴇʟʟ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴀʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴀs ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴋᴇᴇᴘɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇғᴛ ʜɪᴍ sᴘᴇᴇᴄʜʟᴇss. ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴡ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜɪᴍ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ғɪɴᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ sᴏ ʜᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ.

“ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ. ɪ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ. ʙᴜᴛ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ. ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴀs ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴘʟᴀɴɴɪɴɢ ᴀs ɪ ᴅᴏ ɪ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ sʟᴇᴇᴘ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇᴀsᴛ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴘʀɪᴏʀɪᴛɪᴇs.” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

“ʙᴜᴛ ᴡʜʏ…?” ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ. ᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ʜɪs ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ.

“ᴡʜʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ, sᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.

ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ. ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʜɪᴍ sᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ɪᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛs ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏs. ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴡʜʏ ʜᴇ ɢᴏᴇs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴡᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴠᴏʀɪᴛᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ ғᴏʀ ʟᴜɴᴄʜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜɪᴇsᴛ. ʙᴜʏɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ɴᴏᴡ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴀsᴋ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴏ. ᴀᴛ ғɪʀsᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ʜɪᴍ? ʜᴇ ɢᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴄʏ. ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪɴᴇss. ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇsᴛ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴏғ ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴄʏ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ.

“ʟ/ɴ. ᴡʜʏ? ᴡʜʏ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʏ ғᴏʀ ᴍᴇ? ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴀsᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏs?” ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ, ᴛᴜʀɴɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ.

“ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ, ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’s ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀɴ ᴏɴ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇs. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ʜᴇʟᴘ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ.”

“ʟ/ɴ…” ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴅᴇɴᴇᴅ ɪɴ sʜᴏᴄᴋ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ɪɴsᴀɴᴇʟʏ ʀ��ᴅ. ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ʜɪs ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ. ɪᴛ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ɢᴏ ᴜɴɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’s ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ sᴋɪᴘ ᴀ ʙᴇᴀᴛ.

“ʟ/ɴ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜʏ ɪ ᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ɪ ᴅᴏ?” ʜᴇ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴜᴍᴍᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsᴇ.

“ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴍɪʟɪᴛᴀʀʏ-ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴏʀᴘʜᴀɴᴀɢᴇ ᴀs ᴀ ʙᴀʙʏ. ɪ ɢʀᴇᴡ ᴜᴘ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ sᴇʟғɪsʜ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ. ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʟᴘ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴜɴʟᴇss ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ғᴏʀ ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ. ɪ’ᴠᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ. ᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴘ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ sᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ɪ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɪs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇᴍsᴇʟᴠᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴏ ᴏʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢᴏᴛ ʜᴜʀᴛ. ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ, ɪ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, sᴏ ɪ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʏ. ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ғᴀʟʟᴇɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴏᴡɴ ɢᴜɪʟᴛ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇᴅ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴍʏ ᴘʀɪᴏʀɪᴛɪᴇs ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴜᴛɪʟɪᴢɪɴɢ ᴍʏ ᴘʀᴏғɪᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ɪ’ᴍ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴇsᴄᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇʟʟʜᴏʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴀ sᴏ-ᴄᴀʟʟᴇᴅ ‘ʟɪғᴇ’. ᴛʜɪɴɢs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴇᴀʀs, ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ ғᴇᴡ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs. ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴄʟɪᴍʙᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ғᴀʀ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀɴᴋs. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴘʟᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟɪᴍʙ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʜɪɢʜᴇʀ.” ʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜғᴜʟʟʏ sᴀɪᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ. “ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ.” ʜᴇ ᴍᴜᴍʙʟᴇᴅ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ʜɪs ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜ.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴠᴇʀʏ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ʜᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ.

ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ.

“ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ … .ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ. ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴘᴀsᴛ ғᴇᴡ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs.” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ, sᴛɪʟʟ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴀʀɴᴇᴅ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ.

“ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍʏ ғᴀᴜʟᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ.

ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴡᴀs ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜɪs? ᴛᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ɪᴛ ᴛɪʟʟ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀɢᴏ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ғᴇᴡ ᴡᴇᴇᴋs ʜᴇ’s ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ?

“ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ,” ʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ sɪɢʜɪɴɢ “ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ sᴘᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴡʜᴇɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ɪ’ᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜ ɪ ᴀᴄᴛ ᴅɪғғᴇʀᴇɴᴛʟʏ…” ʜᴇ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴜɴɪɴᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ.

“ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴄʟᴜᴇ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴡᴏʀʀʏɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴇ.”

ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ.

“ᴡᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟻 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴛᴀʏ sᴇᴀᴛᴇᴅ.”

ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴏᴛʜ ɪɴᴛᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴏ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ʜᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs. ʙᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇs ᴏғ ᴊᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴢᴜ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ.

ʙᴜᴛ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜɪs ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’s ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ. ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ‘ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ’ ᴏʀ ᴇʟsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ. ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴡ ᴏʀ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ.

“ᴡʜʏ?” ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ. “ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ, sᴀᴇɢᴜsᴀ, sᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғᴀʟʟ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ‘ᴜsɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ’. ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ. ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇʀsᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs ᴍᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ! ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ’s ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ sᴛᴜғғ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪs ɪғ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ғᴏʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ ɢᴀɪɴ. ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏʀʀʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. ɪ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡɴ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ɢᴜᴇss ɴᴏᴛ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɪ’ʟʟ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ɪғ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ᴡɪʟʟ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟʟʏ ɢʀᴀᴛᴇғᴜʟ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʙʟᴜʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ sᴀʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴛᴜғғ ᴏᴜᴛ ʟᴏᴜᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ. ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ʀᴇᴅ.

sᴏ ᴡᴀs ʜᴇ. ᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ.

“ʟ/ɴ…ɪ-“ ʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴜsᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ.

“ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ. ɪᴛ’s ᴡᴇɪʀᴅ. ɪ’ᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ ɪғ ɪ ᴡᴇɪʀᴅᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ…” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀᴀɪʟᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ǫᴜɪᴇᴛʟʏ.

“ɴᴏ, ɴᴏ. ɪ- … ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀʏ.” ʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ sᴍɪʟᴇ ᴏɴ ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ

ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴛᴀʀɪɴɢ ᴀᴛ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀssᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ sʜɪғᴛᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɢᴀᴢᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜsɴᴇss.

ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴀs ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ. ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ, ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏʀ ʜᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ. ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴍᴏᴜᴛʜ ᴛᴏ sᴘᴇᴀᴋ ʙᴜᴛ sᴀᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴀɴᴅs sʜᴀᴋɪɴɢ.

“ʏ/ɴ…”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀsᴛ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ᴊᴜɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ʙʟɪɴᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ɪᴛ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴋᴇᴘᴛ sᴘɪʀᴀʟɪɴɢ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛs.

“ғᴏʀɢᴇᴛ ɪ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ…” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ sɪɢʜɪɴɢ ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsɪᴢᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ.

“ғᴏʀɢᴇᴛ? ᴡʜʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ɪ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ?” ʜɪs ᴅᴇᴍᴇᴀɴᴏʀ ɪɴsᴛᴀɴᴛʟʏ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍ.

“ɪ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏғғ ᴍʏ ᴄʜᴇsᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴍᴇ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴏᴄᴜs ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ sɪᴅᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ʜᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʜɪᴍ.

“ɴᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ɪᴅɪᴏᴛ, ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀɪᴅ, ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴛᴜғғ ɪғ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴛʀᴜsᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇɴᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ sᴏ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏ ᴘᴏssɪʙʟᴇ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ɪ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ɪ, ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʙᴜᴛ sᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ɪ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ᴇɴᴅ ᴜᴘ ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ᴅᴏɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴀsᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ. ᴀɴᴅ ɪғ ɪ'ᴍ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ɪ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ, ɪ’ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ sᴜʀᴇ ᴡʜʏ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴍᴇ ɢᴇɴᴜɪɴᴇʟʏ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ. ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏsᴇʟғ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ, ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴄɪᴘʀᴏᴄᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴ. ʙᴜᴛ, ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀs ɪ ᴅᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ᴍᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ɪᴍᴀɢɪɴᴇ.”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴀɪᴅ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ.

ᴏɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ, ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ɪɴsᴀɴᴇʟʏ ʀᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴀs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ sᴛᴀʀs ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs.

ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜɪs ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇɢʀᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴏɴᴇ ʙɪᴛ. ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴀᴅᴍɪᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴇᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪsʜᴍᴇɴᴛ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴀʀs ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs, ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴛᴇᴀʀs.

ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴅᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʀʏ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀғʀᴀɪᴅ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ. ʜᴇ's ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴜsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇsᴇ ᴋɪɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴛʜɪɴɢs.

“ʏ/ɴ…”

“ɪ'ᴍ sᴏʀʀʏ,… ɪ'ᴍ ᴊᴜsᴛ ɢʟᴀᴅ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴡɪᴘɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ sʟᴇᴇᴠᴇ.

“ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ʏᴏᴜ'ʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇ ɪɴғᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.” ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴘᴜʟʟɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ʜɪs ʜᴀɴᴅᴋᴇʀᴄʜɪᴇғ. “ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs.” ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅ.

ʜᴇ ʜᴇʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪs ʀɪɢʜᴛ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜᴇ ᴡɪᴘᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴀɴᴅ.

“ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴏᴘᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ɴᴏᴡ,” ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ.

ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ʀᴇᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛʟʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ.

“ɪʙᴀʀᴀ,” ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ.

ɪᴛ ᴄᴀᴜɢʜᴛ ʜɪᴍ ᴏғғ ɢᴜᴀʀᴅ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ʜɪs ғɪʀsᴛ ɴᴀᴍᴇ. ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ɪɴ ʜɪs. ᴍᴀɴ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ.

“ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏᴏ.” ʏᴏᴜ ғɪɴɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ sᴍɪʟᴇ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ.

ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴄᴀᴜsɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴄᴇss ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ's ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs sᴏ ʏᴏᴜʀ ɴᴇʀᴠᴏᴜsɴᴇss ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ғᴀᴅᴇ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴇ ғᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏᴏᴋ ʜɪs ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀɴᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ʜɪs ᴀʀᴍ. ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇғᴜsᴇ, ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ. ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ sᴍɪʟᴇᴅ, ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪᴇsᴛ ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇsɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ. ʜᴇ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴛᴡɪɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ғɪɴɢᴇʀs ᴡɪᴛʜ ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴᴇᴅ sɪʟᴇɴᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴀᴡᴋᴡᴀʀᴅ sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ, ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟹 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀ sʏsᴛᴇᴍ ᴀɴɴᴏᴜɴᴄɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴅᴇ ᴡᴀs ғɪxᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍᴏᴠɪɴɢ sʜᴏʀᴛʟʏ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɢᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴀ ɢʀᴀᴛᴇғᴜʟ sɪɢʜ ғʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜ. ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ғᴏʀɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ sᴛᴜᴄᴋ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪᴍ, ᴅɪᴅ ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ?

“ɪ’ᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ's ғɪxᴇᴅ, ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴀ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ.

“ɪ'ʟʟ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ sᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜɪs ɪs ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴍᴏʀʀᴏᴡ, ᴛʜɪs ɪs ᴜɴᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀʙʟᴇ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴡ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ.” ʜᴇ sᴀɪᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴇᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴ ʜɪs ғᴀᴄᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪs ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴀᴜsɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴄᴜʀɪᴏᴜs.

“ᴅɪᴅ ɪ sᴀʏ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ғᴜɴɴʏ?” ʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴᴇᴅ.

“ɴᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ, ɪᴛ’s ᴊᴜsᴛ ғᴜɴɴʏ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ғᴇᴇʟs ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ᴡᴀs ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴛᴏᴘ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ɪᴛ. ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ.” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ.

“ʏᴇᴀʜ, ɪ ɢᴜᴇss ʏᴏᴜ’ʀᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ.” ʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ, “ʙᴜᴛ sᴛɪʟʟ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ’ᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪs ʜᴇʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴀɪɴᴛs ʟᴏᴅɢᴇᴅ ᴀɢᴀɪɴsᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ғᴏʀ ʙᴇɪɴɢ sᴛᴜᴄᴋ ɪɴ ᴀ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴍɪssɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ғᴏʀ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʙᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ sǫᴜᴀʀᴇ ᴏʀ ᴄᴏs-ᴘʀᴏ.” ʜᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪɴᴅᴏᴡ ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴏᴠᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴡɴ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛɪʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʟᴏɴɢ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ɪᴛ.

“ʏᴏᴜ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ, ᴊᴜɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴀʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴜs ʀɪɢʜᴛ?” ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ sᴜʀᴇ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ.

“ʏᴇᴀʜ, ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ ɪғ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ sᴛɪᴄᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ sᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ.” ʜᴇ sɪɢʜᴇᴅ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ. ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ sᴜʀᴇ ɪғ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴄᴀʀᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʙɪᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ sᴜʀᴇ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴀ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ.

ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴏᴜᴛ. ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ.

ᴘᴀʀᴛ ɪᴠ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ. ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜsɪᴇsᴛ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ. ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴅᴀʏs ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ʙᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ sᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴇʟᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴀssɪsᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʟᴀsᴛ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴛᴏ ʀᴜɪɴ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ɪᴛ ᴀ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛ ғᴏʀ ɴᴏᴡ.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴏᴜsᴀɴᴅs ᴏғ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ sʜᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ. ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀʟʟ 𝟺 ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴇs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏᴅᴀʏ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ʜᴀᴅ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴏғ ᴘʀɪᴏʀ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴀɴɴᴏᴜɴᴄᴇᴅ. ʙᴏʏ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜɪs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀ sɪɢʜᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ sᴛᴀᴅɪᴜᴍ ᴡᴀs ɪʟʟᴜᴍɪɴᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛᴍᴀs ʟɪɢʜᴛs ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟ ɢᴀʀʟᴀɴᴅ. ɪᴛ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ.

ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ᴋɪᴄᴋ ᴏғғ ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴇᴅᴇɴ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛs ᴡɪʟʟ ɢᴏ ᴏɴ sᴛᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɴɢ ᴏɴᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ sᴏɴɢ ᴀs ᴀ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ᴛᴏ ᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴜᴘ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ sᴜʀᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴡᴇʟʟ.

“sᴏ… ʜᴏᴡ ᴅɪᴅ ɪᴛ ɢᴏ ʏᴇsᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ?” ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ɴᴏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ.

ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ɢᴏ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴇsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴀʏ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴇ ᴀʀᴇ.

“ᴜᴍ….ɢᴏᴏᴅ, ɪᴛ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ɢᴏᴏᴅ…” ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴛɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ʀᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴇsᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ.

sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ғᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ᴇxᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴏ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ʙᴜᴛ sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛᴇʟʟ ʜᴏᴡ ɪᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ.

“ʏ/ɴ…”

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ?”

“ɪ'ᴍ sᴇʀɪᴏᴜs, ʏᴏᴜ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇғᴜʟ ᴏғ ʜɪᴍ….”

“ᴀɴᴢᴜ, ᴡʜʏ?”

sʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴜsᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs ʏᴏᴜ. “ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ‘ᴡʜʏ?’ʜᴇ ᴍᴀɴɪᴘᴜʟᴀᴛᴇs ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ғᴏʀ ʜɪs ᴏᴡɴ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ. ʜᴇ’s ᴏɴʟʏ ᴜsɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏʙᴀʙʟʏ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴛɪʟʟ ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ-”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴏғғ.

“ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴅᴏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ, ᴇᴠᴇʀ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ, ʏᴇs ʜᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ᴜsᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇɴᴇғɪᴛ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ, ɪ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ᴍᴇ-…”

ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ. ᴛᴇʟʟɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴀ ᴍᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ɴᴏᴡ.

“ʜᴇ ᴛᴏʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ?”

“ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ, ɴᴇᴠᴇʀᴍɪɴᴅ.”

“ʏ/ɴ…ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴀsᴋ ᴊᴜɴ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏᴏɴᴇʀ ᴏʀ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ sᴏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ.”

“ᴀɴᴢᴜ, ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ.”

“ɪ’ᴍ ᴀsᴋɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴄᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀs ᴍʏ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ.”

“ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛʀᴏᴏᴍ.”

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴏᴏᴍ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ʙᴀsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴀɴʏᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴛʀʏ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ. sʜᴇ ғɪɢᴜʀᴇᴅ sʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ᴘᴜsʜᴇᴅ ᴀ ʙᴜᴛᴛᴏɴ sᴏ sʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴏʟ ᴏғғ.

ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇs. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ɢᴇᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴛ sɪɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜᴜɴɢʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ sɪɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇs ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs ʙᴀsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴛʜᴇ sᴛʀᴇᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴀʙ sᴏᴍᴇ ғᴏᴏᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴏᴏᴅ sᴛᴀɴᴅs ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟʏ ᴄʀᴏᴡᴅᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴏᴄᴜs ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴀᴛ ʜᴀɴᴅ.

ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ɪɴsɪᴅᴇ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴠᴇʀʏ ʙᴜsʏ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀғғ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀᴅɪᴜᴍ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ sɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴡᴀs ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ ɴɪᴄᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ sᴏᴍᴇ ғᴏᴏᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ᴅʀɪɴᴋ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sɪᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇʀʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴀs ᴜsᴜᴀʟ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴏɴʟʏ sᴛᴀʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟷𝟻 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴡɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ɴᴇᴄᴇssᴀʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴍɪss ᴇᴅᴇɴ’s ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪɢ ғɪɴᴀʟᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ.

ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɢᴏᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ʀᴏᴏᴍ sʜᴏʀᴛʟʏ. ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴊᴜɴ. ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴇᴀʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴀs ɪғ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ. ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜ.

“ʏ/ɴ!” ʜᴇ sʜᴏᴜᴛᴇᴅ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏ ʜᴏᴘɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀᴛᴄʜ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ.

ʏᴏᴜ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ.

“ʏᴇᴀʜ?”

“ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ! ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴡᴀɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀsᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ǫᴜᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ.”

ᴏʜ ɴᴏ.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʏᴇsᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ? ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ᴡᴀs sᴛᴜᴄᴋ sᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴛ?”

ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏɴɴɴɴ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ. ᴛʜɪs ɢᴀᴠᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀᴡᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴊᴜɴ sᴇᴇᴍ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴡᴏʀʀɪᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ.

“ʏ/ɴ? ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ?”

“ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴍᴜᴄʜ,…”

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ɪs ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴜᴘᴘᴏsᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴇᴀɴ?”

“ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ sᴏᴜɴᴅs ʟɪᴋᴇ.”

ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴛ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ. ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴇɴᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ᴄᴀʀᴛs ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ sᴛɪʟʟ sᴀᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ.

ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴜᴘ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ʜɪᴍ.

“ᴊᴜɴ, sʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ᴡᴇ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ's ɴᴏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ɪɴ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴡᴀs sᴀɪᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ sᴛᴀʏ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ. ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪᴛ’s ɢᴏᴏᴅ ғᴏʀ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀʏ.”

ᴊᴜɴ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪs ғᴇʟʟᴏᴡ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ.

“ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴋɴᴇᴡ sᴏ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴅᴇɴʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴀᴄᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀɴɢʀʏ ᴀᴛ ᴜs ᴘʀᴏᴠᴇs ᴍᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ..” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ.

“ᴡʜᴀᴛ?”

ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ sᴀɪᴅ,

“ʏ/ɴ ʜᴀs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʜɪᴍ ғᴇᴇʟ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ᴡᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʀᴜɪɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ʜᴇ ɪs ɢᴀɪɴɪɴɢ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ ʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ’s ʜᴇʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪɴᴇss ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ʜᴇ ʜᴀs ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ sᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡs ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴘᴇɴᴅ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴠᴀʟᴜᴇs ɪᴛ ᴅᴇᴇᴘʟʏ. ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴜsᴇ ʜᴇʀ. ᴇᴠᴇʀ. ʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴇs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢɪɴɢ ɪᴛ, ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʙᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ.”

ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇs ᴡɪᴅᴇɴᴇᴅ.

“ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ?” ʏᴏᴜ ᴀsᴋᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴀʟʟ ғʟᴜsᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ.

“ɪ ᴅᴏɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʟɪғᴇ.”

ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ ғʀᴏᴍ sᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ʜᴀs ᴛʀᴜsᴛᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ sᴏ ᴄʟᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴍ ᴍᴀᴋᴇs ɪᴛ sᴏᴜɴᴅ sᴏ ʀᴇᴀʟ. ɪ ᴍᴇᴀɴ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ sᴀʏ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ʏᴇsᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ ᴄᴏɴғᴇss ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍ ʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴᴛ ɪᴛ.

ᴊᴜɴ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ,

“ʏ/ɴ, ɪғ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴs ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇ ᴍᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ʟʟ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ғɪʀsᴛ.” ᴊᴜɴ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀs ʜᴇ sᴄʀᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ɴᴇᴄᴋ , ᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ ᴀ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇ ғʀᴏᴍ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ.

“sᴜʀᴇ ᴊᴜɴ” ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴏᴋᴇᴅ.

sᴏᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ sᴀᴡ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀ ʙᴇʜɪɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.

“ɪ ᴡᴀs ʟᴏᴏᴋɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜɴ, ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʜᴀᴅ ᴡᴀɴᴅᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴏғғ ᴛᴏ!”

ᴊᴜɴ ʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪs ᴇʏᴇs.

ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴛʜᴇɴ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ

“ʏ/ɴ, ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ, ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴛᴏ ғᴀʟʟ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ.” ʜᴇ ʟᴀᴜɢʜᴇᴅ.

“ɪ'ᴍ ɢʟᴀᴅ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ. ɪᴛ’ʟʟ ʙᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ᴀᴅᴅᴇᴅ.

-ᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴋɪᴘ-

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴ ᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴇᴄᴛᴀᴛᴏʀs ʜᴀᴅ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀɴɪᴠᴀʟ ɪɴ ғʀᴏɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sǫᴜᴀʀᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟsᴏ ɢᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ sʜᴏᴡ ʜᴀᴅ sᴏʟᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ᴡᴀs ᴀᴍᴀᴢɪɴɢ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴀʀʙʏ ᴄᴀғᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴠᴏɪᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏɴɢᴇsᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴏʟ ᴅᴏᴡɴ. ʙᴜᴛ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɢᴀᴛʜᴇʀɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʜɪɴɢs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇs ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴇᴅᴇɴ.

“ᴏʜ ʏ/ɴ!” ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ, ɢʀᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴇxᴀɢɢᴇʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴀᴠᴇ.

“ʜᴇʏ ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ.” ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴜᴄᴋʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜɪs ɢʀᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢ.

ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴀs ɢʟᴜᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪs ᴛᴀʙʟᴇᴛ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴇ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ʟᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ.

ᴏғ ᴄᴏᴜʀsᴇ ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʟᴋ ɪɴ.

“ʜɪʏᴏʀɪ, ᴊᴜɴ. ɪ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴡᴇ sʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ɢᴏ sᴀʏ ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ.” ɴᴀɢɪsᴀ sᴀɪᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ɪɴ ʜɪs ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴀʟᴏɴɢ.

ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟʟ ᴡᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴇᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴᴇ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʟᴇᴀᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ.

ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴅɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴsɪᴅᴇʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇs ʜᴀᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ʟᴇғᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʀᴇᴀᴋ ᴇɪᴄʜɪ ᴡᴀs ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴇᴍᴘʟᴏʏᴇᴇs. sᴏ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴊᴜsᴛ ʏᴏᴜ, ᴇᴅᴇɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʀɪᴄᴋsᴛᴀʀ. ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴢᴜ.

“ʜᴇʏ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ!” ʏᴏᴜ ᴇxᴄʟᴀɪᴍᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ɢʀɪɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀʀ.

ʜɪs ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʙᴀsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ᴇsᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟʟʏ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ʏᴇsᴛᴇʀᴅᴀʏ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ᴀʙʟᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴇᴇᴘ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғᴇʀʀɪs ᴡʜᴇᴇʟ ʙᴜᴛ, ɴᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ's ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜᴇ ɪs ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ ғᴜʟʟʏ ᴀᴡᴀʀᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sɪᴛᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ sᴇᴇɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴀʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀɴʏ ʙᴇᴛᴛᴇʀ.

ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ ʜᴇʟᴘ ʙᴜᴛ sᴍɪʟᴇ.

“ʜᴇʟʟᴏ ʏ/ɴ.” ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʟɪᴇᴅ sᴡᴇᴇᴛʟʏ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ sᴀᴛ ᴅᴏᴡɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴀʟᴋᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴɪsʜ ᴜᴘ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʟɪsᴛᴇɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀɪᴛʏ ᴏғ ʜɪs ᴀᴛᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜ. ʏᴏᴜ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴍɪɴᴅ. ᴡᴇʟʟ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴇʀᴇ sʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ғʀᴜsᴛʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇ ᴡᴀs sᴛɪʟʟ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ʜɪᴍsᴇʟғ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅ sᴀʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴɪsʜ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʏ sᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ɪᴛ ʙᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇʀᴇɴ’ᴛ ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʏᴇᴛ. ʙᴜᴛ, ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ɴᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴛᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ's ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ.

-ᴛɪᴍᴇ sᴋɪᴘ-

ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴢᴜ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀɴᴅ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ. sʜᴇ ᴡᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ғᴇʟᴛ sʜᴇ ᴅᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴇxᴘʟᴀɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. sʜᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴘᴘɪᴇsᴛ ᴀᴛ ғɪʀsᴛ ʙᴜᴛ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ʜᴇʀ ғᴇᴇʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴀs ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ғɪɴᴇ.

ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟsᴏ ᴇɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴜᴘ ᴄᴏɴᴠɪɴᴄɪɴɢ ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴏғғ ᴏғ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴍɪʟʟɪᴏɴ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛs ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ɢᴏᴏᴅ ғᴏʀ ʜɪᴍ. ᴀs ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴀs ɪʙᴀʀᴀ ᴡᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴʏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀғᴇ, ʜᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ. sᴜʀᴘʀɪsɪɴɢʟʏ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ʜɪs ᴡᴏʀᴋʟᴏᴀᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ sᴏ sʜᴀᴍᴇʟᴇssʟʏ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅᴀᴍᴀɢᴇ ʜɪs ‘ᴘʀᴏғᴇssɪᴏɴᴀʟ ɪᴍᴀɢᴇ’. ʏᴏᴜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀsᴛᴏᴏᴅ, ʟɪғᴇ ᴍᴜsᴛ ʙᴇ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴀs ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴏʟ, ᴍᴀɴᴀɢᴇʀ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴄᴇ ᴘʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴄᴏs-ᴘʀᴏ. ʙᴜᴛ, ʜᴇ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪsᴇᴅ ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ sᴍɪʟᴇ.

ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀғᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀᴄʀᴏss ᴀɴ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀᴏɴɪᴄ ʙɪʟʟʙᴏᴀʀᴅ. ᴛʜɪs ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴇssᴀɢᴇ sᴛᴏᴏᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ʙʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴄᴏᴄᴀ-ᴄᴏʟᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴄ ᴅᴏɴᴀʟᴅs ᴀᴅᴠᴇʀᴛɪsᴇᴍᴇɴᴛs. ᴅᴇsᴘɪᴛᴇ ɪᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴇᴍɪɴɢʟʏ sᴍᴀʟʟᴇsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʙɪʟʟʙᴏᴀʀᴅs, ɪᴛ sᴇᴇᴍᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ sᴛʀɪᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴄʜᴏʀᴅ ɪɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ.

‘ɪᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴛᴀᴋᴇs ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 𝟶.𝟸 sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ғᴀʟʟ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ.’

-ᴇɴᴅ-

[seangelfish]

Meet and Greet

Jun Sazanami x Reader ♡ Tags: Fluff, established relationship, romance, no mention of pronouns ♡ Word count: 864 ♡ Synopsis: An idol like yourself shouldn't be spotted at events like this. That's just too risky! But you're here anyway to not only experience what it's like from the fan's point of view, but also to surprise your boyfriend, Jun Sazanami from Eve. ♡ A/N: Had this in the drafts for a while and it is finally finished! I miss my Jun Sazanami phase~ I still love him and he will forever be my dream boyfriend.

Your hair was tied back with a black cap covering your head. Over your eyes laid a pair of dark shades and a mask to cover your mouth. This was the perfect disguise for you to go see your boyfriend at his meet and greet. After all, you were an idol at the same agency he was in, so you had to be careful about being recognised by his fans.

However, what you really came dressed in was not the disguise you should've gone for, but a casual outfit instead. Sure, you still covered your head with a cap, but your whole face was exposed which could lead to trouble.

You thought otherwise though because despite being a popular idol at Cos Pro, you were still going to attend a meet and greet for Eve, a unit that attracts all eyes. So, you didn't need to worry about being recognised as everyone's attention would be only on them. You doubted anyone would look your way if the Hiyori Tomoe and Jun Sazanami were in the same room as them.

You entered the line, awaiting your turn to meet Eve. For some reason, the idea of being here as a fan when you were an idol was absolutely nerve-racking. Maybe you should've gone in disguise? It was too late now as the line started moving forward, yet thankfully enough, as you expected, no one batted an eye at you.

And despite feeling so nervous, you felt a sensation of excitement brew in you. You were going to see your boyfriend from a different perspective! This is so exciting! you thought to yourself happily. I can't wait to see him!

You hummed a little tune to yourself as you watched fans squeal in delight as they readied themselves to shake their favourite idols' hands.

The venue was crowded with girls which wasn't a surprise to you since Eve catered towards that demographic, but a part of you couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous when Jun would dish out his attention to them. At the same time, you were proud of him. He looked so happy and fulfilled to be given such love for his hard work. It was his dream to become an idol, so seeing him smile so brightly like this only made your heart flutter.

"Thank you for supporting me and Eve," he said politely, shaking a fan's hand firmly. "I appreciate it so much."

"O-Of course!" they would bashfully reply, a slight blush appearing on their cheeks. "I will always be your fan!"

You sighed contently at this. You were nearing the front of the line now, so you readied yourself as you stepped in front of the dark blue-haired boy.

Before you could greet him though, his eyes widened at your figure in front of him.

"(Y/N), w-what are you doing here?" he hissed worriedly. "You're not even wearing a mask! Did anyone recognise you? I hope you didn't get harassed... I'll call security later to escort you out, but you shouldn't..."

Despite the shock in his eyes, you could see how they lit up when he saw you.

"Don't worry, Jun," you whispered back. "No one recognised me!"

He sighed but smiled. "Alright, let's get this over with. Take my hands."

You placed your hands in his. As expected, they were calloused and rough, but at the same time, soft. Your boyfriend shook your hands gently, but his grip was tight as if he didn't want to let you go.

"Thank you for coming here to visit me!" he exclaimed. "I appreciate your support so much!"

His usual lines. He really was taking this seriously so that no one would spot you.

You grinned, then said, "Jun, I'm so proud of you. Do you know exactly why I'm here? I'm here to tell you that you've been doing such a good job getting to this point. You've worked so hard and it's admirable. I hope that you keep at it, that life continues to treat you well."

He looked at you dazed, but his eyes glistened. He wasn't sure if it was the lights that had him squinting like this, but your words did take an emotional toll on him.

"And remember that you're loved," you continued.

At that point, he knew that it was you – the reason why his eyes started to water. Your words touched his heart, and hearing them from you made it all worthwhile that he was here, existing, as an idol.

"T-Thank you..." he stammered out. "I really am happy that you're here, (Y/N)–"

"20 seconds left!" reminded one of employees.

"My time's nearly up, Jun," you stated. "Have a good rest of your day. I love you."

You whispered the last part, but only for Jun to hear. Thankfully, he caught it amid chatter.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

"Next!"

You unlinked your hands from Jun's, then stepped away from the table to chat with Hiyori. Jun continued his job greeting the next fans in line, but from the corner of his eye, he kept looking at you, hoping that you, his lover, would have a good day too.

Intro page | Ensemble Stars masterlist | Rules

[glazeflower]

So like what if

the dateables joined a unit in ensemble stars!

Diavolo

He would join Eden

I mean have you seen is UR card with the appel?

But tbh he would created a solo unit just like Madara

I mean he has the resources 🤷

Barbatos

I think he would be a producer of Diavolo but for the sake of the title.

He would join XXVeil

You cant tell me otherwise

Luke

As I stated in one of my previous post

Branco

He is schrunk

That whole unit are schrunks

Beef with tori but sweets buddys

Hajime and Luke are baking buddys and share recipes

Simeon

Just like Barbatos he would help produce Branco with you if you produce them

But again as the title

He would join Fine

I mean the theme just fits with him and so

Tori giving side eye to Simeon when he talks to Eichi

( can someone pls drawing him in the Fine live uniform?)

Solomon

Switch

100%

Him and Natsume wizard bffs

He would make lives more spectaculair with magic.

I'm too brain rot about this

[koihanwrites]

Eden!

Eden:

What would Ensemble Stars characters do when they're in a Haunted house ♪

Nagisa:

coming soon...

Ibara:

coming soon...

Hiyori:

Hiyori As Your Brother Headcanons! (Fluff)

Jun:

coming soon...

[sakumz]

a/n : just spent 70 on enstars... UMM ONLY TO GET CHIAKI AND NIKI 5* THAT I ALREADY OWNED 😭😭😭 someone sponsor me jkjk... ooc

____________________________________________

[ s. ibara x reader ]

____________________________________________

right... everyone could feel the tension in the room, ibara's glaring eyes as you continue to entertain guests one after another.

were you both lovers? you both weren't wearing any matching outfits or outfits that compliment the other. this banquet... it's a shock he's even here! though the real question is- WHY are you, a reowned idol, now solely focusing on your acting career, here? don't you have important things to do like resting or preparing yourself for the next filming session.

" um l/n-san, you're really cool and amazing! I tots got the hots on ya, care for a drink? " a young business man approached you as he offers a drink. you can't shake this overwhelming feeling.

you looked around and just as you're about to reach for the drink, a hand stops you. both you and the business man turned to look at the person, it was ibara.

he quickly apologised and made a dash away, with his drink for you in his hand, clearly something was wrong in the drink. ibara lets go of your hand. you felt safe when he grabbed your wrist, and for some unknown reason. a wave of confidence washed over you. you grab his sleeve as he's about to walk away from you.

he stops and turned to look at you, raising a brow at your actions.

" so-sorry, but thanks alot back there. who would've known what might happened, " you blushed as ibara tries hard not to falter. you were too adorable in his eyes.

" no problem, y/n l/n... I've been a fan of yours for awhile now and um... mind giving me an autograph? " he hands you his notebook he carries around to sign it.

with shaky hands you do what he wanted. this was definitely out of character and you definitely did not expect to sign an autograph for ibara!

" d-do you prefer my acting skills or my idol self? " you tilt your head as you hand him back the notebook, shyly striking a conversation with the male as he let's out a hearty laugh.

" I love all sides of you, though I can only afford to watch your performance online and not live due to my busy schedule, " he sighs.

" we should, try to do a collab! I enjoy listening to eden's music and your raps... they're just amazing to listen to! " your eyes sparkles like that of a kid, complimenting the man. maybe you've got too much to drink.

your flattery did boosts the man's ego and he can only fill himself falling more for you. your singing voice helped killed the boredom in his office and has always accompanied him wherever he was. hell, he be lying if he didn't say he watches all the films and movies you're starred in.

even hiyori would pop in once or twice to yap his ears off from your latest acts in those silly films. ibara could only beam and try not to attempt to squeeze you. you're just so adorable!

the mood was quickly soiled when your phone rang. you reluctantly picked it up, jolting from the scream of your manager as you sweat drop and apologise to ibara, making your way out of the place.

he couldn't help but follow you, you didn't mind of course. once you hang up, you released a heavy sigh, rubbing your eyes from tiredness. ibara could see the feint eyebags on you.

" you look... so tired, " he starts as you flash him a weak smile.

" as an idol and everyone's celebrity, its only fair I deliver more than 100% of myself... besides the only thing helping me move on from my ex, is that job, " you mumbled out the last part as ibaras ears twitched a little.

ex? so the rumours were true! you're dating your co-star.

" why'd you broke up? " ibara couldn't help himself. you were a wonderful person, what scumbag dumped you.

" my love for my ex wasn't enough. I don't feel an ounce of love from them plus I'm sure they've got another person... it's clear they're not interested in me, " you can't help but laugh at your pathetic self.

ibara was stunned at your reply. sure humans make mistakes but you're a beautiful mistake, he can't help but feel the rage bubble in him. he loves you for more than just your acts and songs. the way you carry yourself in your interviews. you're down to earth personality, even your behind the scenes of every music video. your staffs never seem mad nor were you, everyone looked like they enjoy basking in your presence.

" they're a total scumbag. " hearing him say that had you staring at the man.

" how dare they cheat on a wonderful hardworking individual like yourself? I adore everything about you from your personality to your celebrity self. you're just amazing, " he continues as he hugs you. immediately releasing you as he blushes from his sudden action.

maybe he too, had too much to drink. you laugh at his actions as he was stunned and flushing more.

" you're not so bad, yourself. number one y/n l/n fan! " you kiss his cheek as a car stops infront of you and him. quickly rushing inside your company's car as it drove away.

leaving ibara alone with his thoughts. that was smooth, he's blushing like a high-schooler talking about their crush. thank goodness no eden members were here. he will never hear an end to this. how he couldn't wait to meet you again! he'll definitely tease you back.

---

bros card is just SO HANDSOME

[tokusaatsus]

r. nagisa — cupid’s arrow

warnings: some violence, minor suicidal thoughts (?)

Nagisa doesn’t understand why people are content to believe in the myth of Eros and his bow.

Eros is a fanciful creature. He flies as he pleases, releasing his arrows helter-skelter. It should be a warning sign. Love is painful. It is blood dripping from cut palms, an overwhelming emptiness when your heart shatters like glass.

But people are so content to let themselves be shot, to let themselves be driven into a despair that wears the name ‘love’.

Eros and his bow is a horror story. Nagisa doesn’t understand why people are willing to give up everything for the sake of love.

That is—until it happens to him.

Oh, but what is he to do? The arrow has been released, shot on the fly. It pierces into the soft, welcoming flesh of his heart. The seed has been planted and it bursts into full-bloom when confronted with the warmth of you as you are. There’s nothing special about this moment, a casual everyday occurrence, an innocuous chance, just a simple meeting of gazes and yet.

And yet, and yet, and yet.

All of a sudden the world seems brighter, more beautiful. But it still pales in comparison to when his eyes land upon your figure.

Words rest upon the tip of his tongue; I think I might love you, but he swallows it back, because the feeling he’s currently experiencing is disorienting—dizzying in a way he finds hard to grasp and he fears that if you look at him, he may end up doing something unexpected.

It is not something scripted, nor would he expect it to be. It’s an action he doesn’t think anyone would associate with him, an impulsive decision. He thinks love is terrifying, and Nagisa wonders if letting himself give in to it is a good idea.

The arrow has left a mark, and its poison has seeped into his bloodstream. His body is full of toxins, thousands of tiny pinpricks of pain and pleasure. He could kiss you if he wanted to. He could do it right now.

He could rip the arrow out of his chest, metaphorical as it is. He could destroy and be destroyed in turn. He could become one with you. He could cut his heart out of his chest and hand it to you, become a part of you until there is nothing left with him. He could, he could, he could. No longer human, and he would find peace in that emptiness.

But your smile is so very lovely, and Nagisa thinks that perhaps now he would mind not being human as much as he used to.

© tokusaatsus 2023

wc. 480 words

reze txt. i am always thinking about one (1) ran nagisa... ueueue i love him sm <3

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