Save me

Our Place

The lake is quieter than I remember.

Not empty. Not still. Just... softer.

The water moves in slow ripples against the edge, catching the light as the sun dips lower behind the trees. The same trees. The same stretch of grass. The same place I once thought belonged to someone else.

I stand at the edge, my shoes in my hand, the cool earth beneath my feet grounding me in a way the compound never could. For a moment, I don't move.

I just listen.

The wind through the branches. The water against the shore. The distant sounds from the mansion behind me. Voices, faint and familiar. Real. I step forward, letting the water touch my toes. It's cold. I almost pull back. But I don't. A small breath leaves me, something between a laugh and a memory. I wade in slowly, the fabric of my clothes brushing the surface as I move deeper, until the water settles just below my knees.

It feels the same. That's what surprises me. After everything? After what I became, after what I did? I expected it to feel different. Like the world would know. Like it would reject me somehow.

But it doesn't.

The lake doesn't care.

It just... is.

I close my eyes.

For a moment, it all presses in again, the compound, the pressure, the control, the weight of something that was never mine sitting inside my chest. The way the world bent around me, not because I wanted it to, but because I didn't know how to stop it. My fingers curl slightly at my sides. I could reach for it again. I know I could. The water. The air. The ground beneath my feet. Time itself, if I let it. It's all still there. Waiting. But this time, I don't take it. I let it exist without me.

That choice settles into me, quiet and steady. That's new. That's... mine. Footsteps shift behind me. Soft. Careful. I don't turn right away. I already know who it is.

"Breaking into my secret spot again?" His voice is lighter than it has any right to be. A small smile forms before I can stop it.

"I think you mean our spot."

There's a pause.

"Yeah," he says. "That sounds more accurate."

I turn. He's standing a few steps back from the water, hands in his pockets, posture slightly off like his body hasn't caught up with everything he's been through. There's a bruise along his jaw. Another fading near his collarbone. He looks... real. Not the version I left in that room. Not broken. Not unreachable. Just him. He watches me for a second, like he's making sure I'm really here.

"I was wondering where you went," he says.

"I needed..." I trail off, searching. "Quiet."

He nods, like that makes perfect sense. "Yeah. Not a lot of that inside." A faint smile lingers between us. He steps closer, stopping at the edge of the water. "You okay?" he asks. It's simple. Careful. Not pushing.

I look back out over the lake. "I don't know," I say honestly. "I think... I'm starting to be." It's the truth. The only one I have.

"Good," he says quietly. "That's an improvement." I glance at him, a small flicker of amusement breaking through.

 "Your standards are low."

"Hey," he shrugs, then winces slightly. "We survived. That's a win." A soft laugh escapes me before I can stop it. It feels strange. Not wrong. Just... unfamiliar. I study him for a moment.

"You stayed," I say. It isn't a question.

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to."

"I know."

No hesitation. No explanation. Just him. Something tightens in my chest. Not painfully, but just enough to remind me it's there.

"I thought about leaving," I admit. He doesn't react right away.

"Yeah," he says after a moment. "That makes sense." I look at him, trying to understand how he can accept that so easily.

"I didn't know if I should stay," I continue. "After everything." After what I did. I don't say it. I don't have to.

"And?" he asks gently. I look back at the water, the fading light stretching across its surface.

"I don't want to run anymore." The words settle. They feel steady. Chosen.

"Okay," he says. Just like that. No pressure. No expectation. Just... okay. I turn fully toward him, stepping out of the water. The grass is cool beneath my feet as I close the distance between us.

"I don't know how to be this," I say quietly. "Not completely."

He smiles faintly. "That's fine. I'm still figuring it out too." That earns another small breath of a laugh.

"I believe that."

"Wow," he presses a hand to his chest. "That hurts."

"You'll survive."

"Debatable." I stop in front of him. Close now. Close enough that the space between us feels intentional.

"I want to try," I say. "Here." The word carries more weight than anything else I've said. Here with them. Here with him. He looks at me for a second, like he's really taking that in. Then he nods.

"Okay." The same word but it means more this time. "You're gonna have to deal with me being around a lot," he adds. "I'm kind of hard to get rid of." I tilt my head slightly, warmth slipping back into my expression.

"I think I can handle that." A quiet moment passes. The lake behind us. The fading light. The world continuing, steady and unchanged. And for the first time, I don't feel like I'm outside of it.

I step a little closer,. "Pietro." His name feels soft. Familiar. Right. His breath catches, just slightly. Because it matters. Because it always did. He doesn't say anything right away. He doesn't need to. I reach for his hand, not because I need to hold on, but because I want to.

And this time.....

nothing pulls me away.