His fierce certainty made me want to believe. Made me want to fight the pulling sensation, to anchor myself to them through sheer force of will.
6:22. One minute.
“Whatever happens,” I said, my voice shaking now, “thank you. Thank you for seeing me. For wanting me. For making me feel real.”
The light was different now, that quality of pre-dawn where the world held its breath. Through the window, I could see the exact spot on the horizon where the sun would break through. Thirty seconds, maybe.
The pulling sensation was almost painful now. Like hands grabbing my essence, trying to drag me back to wherever ghosts belonged. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch myself disappear. Felt Hunter's lips on mine, Eli's on my shoulder. Held between them, cherished by them, real in ways that had nothing to do with being solid.
This was it. This was how ghosts ended; not with violence but with sunrise, gentle as an exhale. At least I got to know what love felt like first. At least I got to…
6:23.
The sun broke the horizon.
Wait.
I was still thinking.
The pulling sensation didn't tear me apart.
It inverted.
Instead of pulling me away, it suddenly pushed inward, like the universe was cramming all of my scattered energy back into one space. My chest felt tight, then tighter, pressure building until—
Thump.
What was that?
Thump.
Oh.
Oh god.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
“I'm still here,” I gasped, eyes flying open. “I'm still… I can feel—there's something in my chest, something pounding…”
Hunter's hand pressed over my heart, and his eyes went wide, replaced by shock so profound he couldn't speak. He just stared at his hand on my chest, feeling something I couldn't see but could definitely feel.
“Eli,” Hunter's voice cracked. “Eli, feel this.”
Eli's hand joined Hunter's, both palms pressed over my heart. His professional mask cracked completely.
“Kris,” he said, wonder and disbelief mixing in his voice. “Kris, do you know what this is?”
“What? What is it?”
“Listen,” Hunter said, and pressed his ear to my chest.
I heard it then, really heard it. Not just felt the sensation, but heard the sound. A rhythm. A beating. Coming from inside me.
“Is that—” I couldn't even say it.
“Your heart.” Eli pressed his own ear pressed to my chest now, both of them listening to me like I was the most important soundin the world. “You have a heartbeat, Kris. You're not just solid. You're alive.”
Alive.
