Learning Purpose [Unus Annus Fanfiction]

Part 18- Closure Pt. 2

(Pic Credit: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/crankgameplays-38115.php  and yes I know this is a really old picture but just look at him!)

-Ava

I hear a knock on the door, loud but light. I get up from my spot on the couch, stretching the tired out of me. Heading to the door, I'm curious as to who it might be. Jack isn't supposed to hang out with me today, since he said he was busy with something. I didn't mind, since he is over almost literally every single other day. If not Jack, though, then who could it be?

My mind suddenly flashes back to the group chat that the three of us were still in, the texts from early this morning. "I'm flying back home today. I'll be at the park at 6." It read. Dread had filled my lungs again like water, and I was careful to keep my breathing steady.

He came back? But everything was just getting to be okay again.

I open the door now, having an instinctual feeling that it is him.

And I'm right, sadly. When I open the door, he's standing there in his jean jacket and light blue t-shirt, baggy jeans and black converse. I can't look up at his face as he stands there awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot. Finally, I glance up. His cheeks are pink and bright, with a few streaks and blotches here and there, though they aren't terribly noticeable. His eyes are puffy and red, but his hazel irises stand out more than ever against the gloomy background. He has a slight glimmer of hope in his eyes that I remember so well from before. He seems to be avoiding my eye contact as well, his cheeks blushing a light pink, though that could just be from the cold. When I open the door, his lips purse into a tight smile and he waves halfheartedly.

My first instinct is to shut the door in his face. How dare he come back after what he'd done to us? He doesn't deserve a second chance.

However, the door stays cracked open, and I am petrified with both fear and curiosity and he shifts his weight awkwardly.

After a moment of uneasy silence, he speaks.

"H-hello." He says, his voice slightly deeper. It sounds more reserved now, but that is probably just from the circumstances.

I don't say anything, I just keep staring at him uncomfortably, as if urging him to get to whatever point he's here to make.

He gulps.

"Uhm, I know you probably don't want to see me right now," He begins, and when I simply stare at him without a response, he continues, "But I just came to say goodbye."

I blink a few times, and the date suddenly meshes with my thoughts. It's November 13, two days before Ethan said he found out about his "expiration date" last year. If his prophecy-thing is true, he has two days to live, technically one since the sun has already gone down for the day.

This is the last time I'm probably going to see him.

Finally I break my frozen stance in astonishment as my mind processes the fact that tomorrow the boy standing in front of me will be dead. In my panic, I can't seem to put any words together.

"Oh."

Ethan itches the back of his neck in thought, then glances at me again.

"Look, I know you probably hate me for what I did, but I just want to say that I'm sorry, and I regret ever going to LA. It was great there, but you and Jack were right about you guys being enough. I didn't need a dream. I didn't need the project. I just needed you guys, and I kind of took that for granted while I was here. I've missed you guys so much."

Before I can get a word in, he flinches a little in surprise, forgetting to say something.

"I don't expect you to forgive me though! It's okay if you still hate me. I deserve it." By the end of his apology, he's shrunken back into his jacket, like a tiny mouse in human clothing.