SOUL

apoligies

The smell of bacon and eggs filled the kitchen, but the sound of sizzling and the warmth of the stove did nothing to dispel the heaviness that hung between them. Leo moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, preparing breakfast as Mary sat at the table, her gaze distant as she absently picked at her food. He watched her from the corner of his eye, the weight of the night before still lingering between them like a thick fog.

The danger had become more real than ever, and he couldn't leave her alone, not after that. So he had taken her in, setting up the couch for himself and insisting that she take his bed. But sleep had eluded him. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.

Mary hadn't said much since they arrived. She was quiet, withdrawn, as if the weight of everything had finally pressed down on her shoulders. He couldn't blame her. She had been through hell, and he had dragged her into this mess. But more than that—he had been wrong. Wrong to doubt her. Wrong to ignore everything she had been telling him for years.

He set down a plate of food in front of her, sitting across the table, but she barely glanced at it. Instead, she continued to pick at the eggs with her fork, her movements slow and mechanical. The silence between them stretched until it became almost unbearable.

Leo broke it first, his voice quiet but steady. "How did you sleep?"

She didn't answer at first, her gaze fixed on her plate. Then, in a small, tired voice, she said, "I didn't, really."

He wasn't surprised. After everything that had happened, sleep would have been a miracle. He leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully, trying to figure out the right words to say. But he wasn't good with words. Never had been.

After a few more moments of silence, Mary finally spoke again. Her voice was so soft that he had to strain to hear it.

"How did you know to come to my house?" she asked, her eyes lifting to meet his for the first time that morning.

Leo paused, his brow furrowing slightly. He hadn't expected the question, but he had thought about it, too. The truth was, he didn't know how he had known. He had just felt it, a deep, unshakable feeling that something was wrong, that she was in danger. It wasn't the first time he had felt something like that, but this time, it had been more intense. Urgent.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice low. "I just... I had a feeling. Something told me you were in danger after I got the phone call. You answered, and then everything just... felt off."

Mary studied him for a moment, her tired eyes searching his face for answers. Her lips trembled slightly before she whispered, "Leo, I didn't answer the phone."

His heart stuttered, confusion washing over him. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't have my phone on me. It was in my room. Dead," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, the words hanging in the air like a lead weight.

Leo's mind raced, trying to make sense of what she was saying. He could have sworn he heard her voice on the other end of the line. He had heard her, hadn't he? But now, hearing her say that the phone had been dead... it didn't make sense.

"What—how...?" He trailed off, unable to find the words.

"I don't know," Mary whispered, her eyes falling back to her plate. "I don't know how it happened."

It was in that moment that a presence filled the room. A famillair one. The smell, the feeling of home. The slight chill down his spine. Behind Mary was his mother, looking just as he remembered her. She gave him a smile before she dissapeared from his vision, one moment she was there, the next she vanished like she'd never been there in the first place. But her presence stayed in the room, he could feel her all around him. In that moment he knew that the call to his phone had been from his mother, even from the grave his mother was looking out for them both.

"can you feel her?" Mary asks softly

His eyes stare at her and his mouth drops in shock.

"it's okay, you're finally listening, she's been here all along"

They sat in silence, the weight of the unexplained hanging between them. Everything about this situation was impossible, yet here they were, living it. Leo swallowed hard, trying to steady himself. For so long, he had brushed her off, convinced that she was exaggerating or imagining things. But now... he believed her. He didn't have a choice anymore.

"I'm sorry," Mary said, her voice trembling. "For everything. For dragging you into this."

Leo shook his head, his chest tightening at the sight of her sitting there, so vulnerable, so small. "Don't apologize. You don't have to apologize for any of this. I should be the one saying sorry."

She looked up at him, confused. "Why?"

"Because," Leo said, his voice cracking slightly, "I didn't believe you. Not really. Not when we were kids, not after the accident, not even after all the things you've done for me. I should've been thanking you, but instead... I pushed you away. I made you feel like you were crazy when I should have listened."

Mary blinked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "All these things... they freak me out, Mary. All the things you see, the way you just know when something's wrong. It's scary. But I believe you now. And I'm sorry it took me so long to see it."

Mary's lip trembled, and for a moment, she looked like she might break. But then Leo reached across the table, gently taking her hand in his. He gripped it tightly, his voice steady, firm. "I promise you, I will never doubt you again. I believe you, Mary. I believe everything."

Her breath hitched, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked down at their hands, his warmth steady against her cold skin. "That's all I've ever wanted"

Leo's grip tightened, his chest aching with the weight of her words. "And I've been too stupid to see it. But not anymore."

Mary's tears spilled over, and she let out a soft sob, her shoulders shaking. Leo stood, moving to her side of the table, and gently pulled her into his arms. She clutched onto him tightly, her face buried in his chest as she cried. He held her close, his hand stroking her hair as he whispered reassurances into her ear.

"I've got you," he murmured, his voice soft, full of emotion. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I swear, Marigold. You're safe now."

She clung to him as if he were the only thing keeping her grounded, her sobs gradually subsiding as his warmth surrounded her. For the first time in a long while, she felt safe. Truly safe. Leo's arms around her were solid, real, and in that moment, she realized that this was where she had always been meant to be. With him.

Leo held her tighter, the weight of everything finally settling in his chest. He didn't have all the answers, and there were still things about Mary he couldn't explain. But one thing was certain—he wasn't going to lose her again. Not this time.

As he held her close, his heart pounding steadily against hers, he knew deep down that this was right. That she had been meant to be here, in his arms, where she should have been all along. He wouldn't let her go. Not now. Not ever.