A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition

Chapter 106: 'Till Death Do Us Part, Eh?

I spin to check the clock. It's 11:16. I slept for way longer than I usually do, and I didn't even hear the alarm clock ring. I wonder if I was just sleeping too heavily for a second, but no, that never happens. John didn't even bother to wake me. Wait...

John! Where is he?! Pixie's here, and she bounds closer when she sees me wildly looking around, but other than that, it's just us. I pet her at bit, least 'till I decide to drag myself out of bed. "You know where he is, girl?" I ask. "Have you seen him?" But she only stretches in answer.

I sigh and pull my hair into a loose bun with one of the scrunchies bae tied me up with last night, and immediately, I'm reminded of my lack of satiation then. I didn't even get a chance to... well, climax. I was so close, and he just stopped—like that! "C'mon, Pixie," I slur to the coffee-coloured bunny. "Let's try and find him." I need to know if he's okay... if we're okay.

Even the bathroom's wide open, and the lights are off. I step outside with the bunny by my heel, deciding to skip tea entirely if I can't have any with John.

People are wandering about, not many, but handfuls. Most of them are students. They cluster together in their own circles—nerds, jocks, skaters, kinetics, elementals, artists, punks. I don't see my alien boy in any of their groups, so I head towards the admin building, trying to focus on the wind on my cheeks instead of the heaviness in my heart.

I pass security and professors; Malcolm waves at me when he meets my eye, but he's quickly on his way down the other hall. I only hear John's voice when we near Nine's office, though I can't make out what exactly he's saying—something about... Switzerland? What about Switzerland? And why does he sound so upset? Or, not upset, really, but irritated.

"And you promise to leave her out of it?" he asks.

"For the last time, yes!" Nine shouts.

"You won't tell her anything...?"

"I think you'll know if I do, John," Nine sighs. "I don't have time for this. Go and do whatever it is you do and stop bothering me with this shit. I have a class to teach."

"Fine," he says, sighing. "But before you go, I assume you still aren't going to tell me anything, are you? About, you know..."

"No, John, I won't," Nine answers, resolute. "Because nothing happened."

The door swings open, and Nine stares me in the face. I back away, feeling a bit like an ant in a rhinoceros' cage. "Oh, hey, Em," he says upon seeing me. "Sorry, I need to get to the gym."

I step out of his way, and as soon as he walks past me, I have a direct line of sight to John. He's staring at me, hard. It must be a minute or more before he rises out of his chair to make his way over. I, on the other hand, can't move. I can do nothing but stare up into his gorgeous blue pearls, wondering why on earth he let me sleep in or left without waking me first, or even where to begin about last night. "Hey," he starts, shaking me to my core.

"Hi."

"How're you feeling?"

I think about that for a second longer instead of saying my usual good. Is now a good time to tell him? Can I just spill everything that's been on my mind since last night... here? Or should I lie? I feel like I've been lying way too much to him recently, even if it's really only one...

"Ok," I eventually decide, hoping he'll see something more in that.

"Are you sore?" What? Sore? That's what he's concerned about?

"No," I mutter, then think better of it. "Well, maybe a little."

"Good," he says, wrapping a hand around my neck and pulling me close so our foreheads touch. "I like it when you're sore."