I strained my ears too, knowing that any room Oscar was present in wouldn’t be a quiet one. And that wasn’t a bad thing. I admired him for it, actually. Growing up not being able to talk, you’d think I’d have been jealous of him for being able to yell so freely, but if anything, he was my inspiration. I felt bad because, being that little bit older, I was always supposed to be that for him.
I should tell him that more often. I don’t even think he knows.
Until then, I listened, and listened, but I couldn’t hear his voice.
And I couldn’t see Cora. Couldn’t feel her.
Where the hell were they?
As my mind wandered, an elegant voice sounded from the speakers. “Will all Nouvelle finalists please come to the stage? This year’s winner will be announced shortly.”
Fuck, I needed to find her.
Oscar could handle himself.
I gave up peering through the crowd and instead slipped my phone out of my pocket. I scrolled until I found her name, which didn’t take very long, and called her. With my phone to my ear, I kept scanning the room. Each beep made my heart beat faster, hating how panicked I was.
It was how I’d felt before when she asked me if I loved her again. And I wanted to pause time as I slapped myself for not replyingYesin a heartbeat.
I was going to tell her tonight. Regardless of what happened. By midnight she’d know how I felt about her, and maybe, hopefully, she’d tell me that she loved me again—
The beeping in my ear stopped.
I beat her to whatever she was going to say.
“Cora? Where are you? They need all the finalists up on the stage.”
Silence.
My brows drew together. “Cora?”
Still nothing.
A knot twisted deep in my gut.
I lowered my voice, sharp and tight. “Talk to me, Cor.”
Then a low, amused laugh.
“Cora’s a little busy right now.”
Time slowed.
My heart stopped.
The glasses slipped from my fingers, shattering on the marble.
My stomach dropped through my feet.
The voice cracked another laugh.
“Want to leave a message?”
I knew that voice. But right now it belonged to a faceless figure in my mind.
"Who is this?" There was no time for guessing games.
The voice sighed down the line, but it was laced with sick glee. "It's a little alarming you don't know your next of kin's voice, Marcus."
