She left Cahir in the room while he sat on the edge of the bed, his hair a rumpled mess, and a pillow covering his lap.
Chapter 12
Cahir
As Cahir and Seda headed out of the apartment to look for Benny and Sara, he continued to scold himself. He knew Seda struggled with painful memories. She didn’t tell him the specifics, but he wished he knew who the fuckers were who did it so he could rip their faces apart, literally, and feast upon their agony.
But all he had were vague descriptions of them.
He always respected her boundaries, only coming close when the situation was right, and never inthatway. He believed she was beautiful both inside and out, and he could see the real her beneath her veil of shadows. She was like the first glimpse of sunlight after a dark storm. Her kindness brought out the best in him, helping him become a better man.
He fought with himself countless times to keep his reactions in check. But that didn’t stop him from catching himself watching herfrom behind and admiring her rounded hips, her thick thighs, or the way her loose tops would shape against her when the wind picked up just right.
He would spend the rest of his long life like this, only as close as she wanted and needed, being her friendforever.
He was thankful for the ability to take cold showers most days.
Lately, it had been getting harder for him to keep his emotions in check. Maybe it was due to those damn letters from the Wisps, constantly reminding him of the time he had left.
Uncertainty consumed him, and he just wanted to take Seda and head back to his home, fuck the consequences, and leave this awful place behind.
Seda had no idea who or what he really was. He was under a strict agreement not to reveal anything. The bargain he’d made with the Wisps made it binding; his desire to come to her was their payment. Cahir was also not allowed to lie to Seda. Navigating his backstory to her was a never-ending challenge. She knew that he was an orphan and that he had no family within the dome, all true, but all falsified truths as well.
He dreaded the day she found out the truth about him, knowing it would crush the trust he’d worked so hard to build with her. Now that he had it, it felt like he was grasping at water and watching it slip away drop by drop.
They walked past a shouting crowd and paused, watching as the crowd grew larger with more people joining the chaos. Seda and Cahir pushed through to the center and saw a Rozzer beaten by a group of men.
“Let’s get out of here.” He quickly grabbed her hand, guiding them back through the crowd and as far away as possible.
Sirens blared in the area, and Rozzers flooded in, striking people with batons and dragging bodies away.
The crowd began fighting back fiercely.
“I-I don’t like this, Cahir. Citizens of Joro don’t act like this.” She nervously bit her nails. They continued their walk to Benny and Sara’s house. Cahir looked at her concerned expression, and worry swept through his heart.
We need to get out of here. What if I just stole her away and explained later? Would she forgive me?
They walked a few more blocks to another apartment complex and went in through the front door. They found apartment nine, knocked on the door, and waited for them to answer. Light footsteps approached, and the door cracked open. Sara peeked out from the crack.
“Oh, Seda and Cahir! You’re back!” she exclaimed, pushing the door open wider. “Come in. Come in.”
As they walked through, Seda paused at the entrance and said her prayer.
Cahir refused to fake-pray to that hideous man any longer. He walked past her into the living room. He was over this entire charade. He didn’t have much time left, and his fake show of loyalty was wearing thin.
“I’m so happy to see you back, Cahir. We were so worried about you. Were you able to find out about Jason?” Sara asked as she anxiously fiddled with her shirt sleeve.
For the second time, Cahir went over the story he was allowed to share, this time with Sara.
Sara wiped her eyes with the ends of her shirt. “I was worried he would already be there,” she responded.
“Where is Benny?” Seda asked.
“He went out earlier to grab some food,” Sara said, trying to compose herself and wipe away her tears again as she straightened.
“We saw a mob on our way here fighting with Rozzers. I really hope Benny didn’t get caught up in that,” Seda said.
“A mob?” Sara paused and shook her head. “No… no… your brother knows better than to get involved with things like that.”
