Two lives.

25. Sorting out things

Ekko's POV

May 22nd
2:46 AM

The hallway was cold, the kind of chill that settled in your bones and made you wonder why you were standing there in the first place. I stared at the door in front of me, my fist raised mid-knock. What was I doing here? I didn't belong here. But then again, where else was I supposed to go?

I knocked. Once, then twice. The sound felt too loud, too sharp against the silence of the dorm.

My chest tightened as I shifted my weight from foot to foot, staring down at the scratches on my arms. They stung, a faint reminder of my reckless sprint through the underbrush earlier. But the pain? That I could handle. It was the noise in my head I couldn't shut off—the constant buzz, like static that wouldn't fade.

The door opened faster than I expected. Sienna stood there, rubbing her eyes, her hair messy from sleep. For a second, I thought about leaving, pretending I'd knocked on the wrong door, but the way her face softened when she saw me kept my feet rooted in place.

"Ekko?" she said, her voice groggy but concerned.

"Didn't think you'd actually get up," I muttered, half to myself.

Her brows knitted together. "Why are you here? It's two in the morning."

I glanced past her into the room, avoiding her eyes. "I... didn't know where else to go." The words came out quieter than I wanted, almost like I didn't want her to hear them.

She stepped aside without hesitation. "Come in."

I hesitated for half a beat before stepping inside. The room was warm, filled with the faint scent of lavender or something close to it. It felt safe, quieter than the chaos outside—or the chaos in my head.

The light flicked on, harsh and blinding. I winced, raising a hand to shield my eyes. When I lowered it, I caught Sienna staring at me, her gaze sharp as it swept over the scratches on my arms, the leaves stuck in my dreads.

"Ekko," she said slowly, her voice laced with confusion. "Are you okay?"

I froze, trying to muster up the usual smirk, the nonchalant shrug. But all I could manage was, "Yeah." The word felt hollow even as it left my mouth.

Her eyes narrowed. "What happened to your arms?"

I glanced at the angry red lines crisscrossing my skin. "I ran through a bush," I said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She blinked, clearly waiting for an explanation that wasn't coming. "You what?"

"A bush," I repeated, my tone matter-of-fact. "It was in the way, so I ran through it."

Her lips parted, like she was about to argue, but then she just shook her head and stepped closer. I didn't move as she reached for my arm, her fingers brushing against my skin.

"Hold still," she murmured, pulling a stray leaf from my dreads. Her touch was gentle, almost too much. My chest tightened as her hand lingered for a moment longer than necessary.

Our eyes met. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. There was something in the way she looked at me—soft but steady, like she was trying to piece me back together without knowing where to start.

She stepped back abruptly, her cheeks flushing as she let go of my arm. The space between us felt colder.

"Ekko," she said, her tone shifting to something softer. "Why are you here? Did something happen?"

I laughed, the sound sharp and out of place. "I just needed to see you," I said quickly, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Her eyes searched mine, full of questions I wasn't ready to answer. "Where have you been?"