A Charmed Reincarnation (Season 2)

１０ • Ｄｉｓｔａｎｃｅ Ｍａｋｅｓ Ｔｈｅ Ｈｅａｒｔ Ｇｒｏｗ Ｆｏｎｄｅｒ

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈

𝑩𝒆 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅.

___

𝑱𝒖𝒏

I lay flat on my bed, staring unfocused at the ceiling. There's a penetrating silence in the penthouse, which I had thought I had grown used to but now makes me uncomfortable. It's too quiet now that he's not around to fill the silence, and now I'm left to my own thoughts. I hold my phone and stare at the exact words I've read every day since he sent it a week ago. I have it memorized at this point, so I don't know why I continue to go back to it. Maybe it's because it's the last thing he said, and I can almost hear him saying the words as he typed it out.

Hey Jun. I hope you're doing okay. I know you said you needed space, and honestly, after thinking about it, I think I also need some as well. I decided to take Gabriel's offer and go to Tokyo for three weeks. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. I'm going to be busy, so I won't be checking my phone that often. After the trip, I hope we'll get a chance to talk about everything. I'll see you soon.

I exhale slowly and drop my phone to my side. I cover my eyes with my arm, hoping the darkness will bring clarity to the rampant chaos in my mind. I did need space to get my thoughts and emotions in order. Seeing that potential future, should Ambrose suddenly drop from the face of the Earth, was... jarring, to say the least. It played as a movie in my mind, but Ambrose's gift for being so in tune with the emotions and thoughts of others made the experience too surreal to dismiss as something outside the realm of plausibility. Mason killing Ambrose? I mean, for God's sake, Mason and I had even discussed if something like that ever happened, I was to— I can't even bear to think it let alone imagine it. All I know is he broke his promise, and I recognize that the circumstances had been different in that future for it to get to that point, but that doesn't dismiss the possibility that something similar could happen in our current future. How does he expect me to do that? I would be doing it for Ambrose, yet I know Ambrose would hate me for eternity if I did, even if he claims he wouldn't.

A sudden faint tingling rings in the back of my mind. An intuitive sense, more or less, that my peace is about to be disturbed. As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I hear my doorbell ring. I glance at the clock and see it's almost ten, therefore far too late for any business meetings, so this must be personal. I stand up and head downstairs. Who could it be? My first assumption would be Ambrose, but he's gone. Gael doesn't bother with announcing his presence beforehand as that would be too kind, and he would rather teleport in. Besides, I know it can't be him because he's in Tokyo on a business trip which is ironic. As I approach the door, I extend my senses out and feel a familiar presence at the door and pause once I register who's waiting. I debate internally whether I'm ready for this conversation. My first instinct is to take a peek into my future and see the outcome of this ordeal before it can become reality, but I resist the urge and instead take a deep breath, steeling myself, and open the door.

Standing before me is Mason, looking much more put together than when I last saw him. His eyes are red-rimmed and dark circles adorn the skin underneath, but his hair is combed, and his clothes are pressed. He adorns his usual smirk and is holding two large duffle bags in his hands.

"Hey, roomie!" he greets and barges in past me.

I blink twice, feeling slightly dazed at his behavior. I close the door and follow him into the living room. He drops his bags, and before I can even say anything, he begins talking in a flurry.