Unknown: I can turn it off.
Ezekial.
A small smile lifts my lips at his flurry of panicked messages.
But after what I’ve learned about his past—even just a glimpse—the thought of giving him a hard time doesn’t even compute.
I save his number.
Me: And why are you awake at this hour, Ezekial?
Ezekial: Am I that obvious?
I smirk. He has no idea. I’ve known Ezekial the least amount of time, but already picked up on some of his traits. Controlling, meticulous, humble.
Ezekial: And I’m awake because Kane hasn’t returned to the house. He’s been in the Pit and I can’t convince him to leave.
My lips flatten. My chest aches. The shadows bloom.
Me: Why won’t he leave?
Ezekial: My guess? He doesn’t want to face us. He always thinks the worst of himself.
The ache grows. Just the thought of him there, alone… waiting. Sitting with those memories.
Me: Can I have his number?
*New contact added*
Ezekial: There’s no signal down there, but he’ll get it when he returns.
Even so, I still feel like I need to try and reach him, like I need to do… something.
Me: Thanks. He told me, btw. About what happened to him.
This time, there’s no immediate reply.
I use the pause to unplug the charger and drift back into the bedroom. By the time I’ve settled in bed, phone in hand, he responds.
Ezekial: That would’ve been... incredibly hard for him.
A tear drops onto the screen, blurring his words. Then another. I can’t remember when they began. I swipe them away with the back of my hand, but they keep falling.
Me: He told me a little about you, too. But he said you’d want to tell me the rest.
Me: I’m so sorry.
“Fuck,” I whisper, dragging my sleeve across my cheeks.
A few days ago, I hated these men. Couldn’t bear the sound of their names. That’s what I told myself.
Now? I’m crying over two of them. Wanting to comfort them, to heal them. Wanting to unleash unimaginable pain onto anyone who ever did them wrong—
Ezekial: It was a long time ago.
Me: Doesn’t mean it hurts any less.
Ezekial: No. But I try to live in the present. That’s what she would have wanted.
