I pull back from his shoulder and look straight into his eyes.
"I believe in you. I believe in you, Eliano!" I say, with full conviction in every word. "You can do anything. Anything. You can make the impossible happen, Eliano!" My voice breaks. "You could bring the dead back to life if you had to. You will find a way out. I know it! I know it, and I love you. I’m yours. I’m sorry forbeing an asshole all the time, for doubting you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me!"
There's silence. Something subtly shifts in Eliano’s face. I can see that my words reach him somehow. My assurance gives him a surge of strength.
But his face is still a bit sad, when he asks,
"You really do believe I can find a solution?"
It shocks me how much he’s been struggling with this, feeling like he failed me. It’s practically saturating him, the gloomy energy.
"I know it," I answer, meaning every word. "Whatever you put your mind and energy into,youmake it work."
I can feel it matters a great deal to him, the simple fact thatIhave faith in him.
It’s like a rush of revitalizing energy flooding his body.
"Then I’ll make it happen," he says quietly but surely. "I’ll find a way out for us, Salt. I promise."
I nod firmly, grab his hand, and pull him back into the room where Senu is still sitting. He must have heard everything with his omega hearing. He looks deeply moved, his eyes shining with tears.
That’s when I notice someone kneeling beside him.
"Jordan Arnold?" I whisper.
Senu beams.
"Yeah. Meet my True Mate."
ELIANO
The change that comes over Salt is hard to put into words, it’s something you kind of have to see to believe. It’s like someone wiped a layer of black paint off a colorful picture. He looks almost drunk with joy. The entire way home he’s bouncing, shouting, throwing his arms in the air, even dancing.
Other couples stare at him like he’s lost his mind, but he doesn’t care. Happiness fills him so completely it’s as if it’s replaced the blood in his veins.
I can see he can’t even find the words for what he’s feeling. Every so often he just presses his hands to his eyes, like he’s trying to make sure this is real, that Senu is actually alive.
I’m happy for him, truly, but I can’t say I feel optimistic overall. In the back of my mind, another mode is already running, full of thousands of thoughts about what I need to do next.
I have a lot of plans and ideas, still hazy, but some of them are slowly starting to take shape. One of them involves accepting my brother Mauro’s offer to stay in one of his year-round rental cabins, but I have serious doubts about how safe that really is.
I’ve also been reading about different options in the Beta Activation program, and I came across an interesting initiative they run on the side. Even there, though, I can seeseveral obstacles that could make it hard to actually use this opportunity.
Right now, my thoughts are a mess, though maybe ‘creative chaos’ fits better.
Knowing that Salt actually trusts me means a lot. It flows through me like a rush of energy, but I’m fully aware that part of this sudden faith comes from how he’s tied together two things in his head: my accidental discovery that Senu is alive and my supposed ability to solveinsanelyimpossible problems.
Those two things don’t really go together, and I try not to get too carried away.
Still, what matters is that Salt’s mindset is different now, clearly lighter, and that alone makes me happy.
From the day I met him, there has always been that shadow hanging over him, probably from the day Senu disappeared. Now, though, it finally feels like things have snapped back into place.
When we reach the house, Salt jumps straight onto our bed.
Sometimes he cries.
Sometimes he laughs.
