Teto lay awake in her bed that night, unable to find sleep after the haunting text. She knew the text had to be from the Project. What other explanation was there?
The more she thought about it, her stomach churned with a sense of dread. Tomorrow night, she would likely be dead, along with Neru and Rinto if whoever sent the text was lying. She felt like the weight of an elephant had just settled on her shoulders, and she couldn't shake it no matter how hard she tried.
All of Teto's friends had decided to stay with her for the night in case she felt unsafe, since her mom was out of town. Tei was curled up in her futon across the room, Haku was on the couch downstairs, Mat occupied one of the guest rooms, and Len had the other.
Eventually, Teto's fear got the best of her. On the verge of tears, she sat up, eager to talk to someone who could comfort her. She looked over to Tei, who was sleeping comfortably in the futon. Teto didn't want to wake her and burden her with her fears, so she quietly tiptoed out of the room.
The next closest room was Len's. Teto quietly turned the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door, closing it softly behind her. In the dark, she saw Len's head move in the bed.
"Teto?" He called softly, making Teto sigh in relief.
She approached the bed and sat down on the end.
"Sorry to wake you," she apologized.
She heard Len shift again.
"You didn't. I can't sleep either." He said. "What's wrong?"
Teto sighed and closed her eyes.
"I'm just really scared for Rinto and Neru. And myself, if I'm honest. Worst case scenario, all three of us die tomorrow." She said, feeling the tears coming to her eyes. Now that she said it aloud, the gravity of her situation seemed a lot more real.
At first Len didn't respond, then he scooted over to one side of the bed and pulled the covers aside.
"Cmere." He said, patting the pillow next to him.
Desperately needing comfort, Teto crawled over next to him, laid down and pulled the covers over herself. Len turned on his side facing her, his blue eyes shining despite the darkness. She felt his hand find hers and grab hold of it. His thumb rubbed circles into the back of her hand.
"I'm scared too. Rinto is my brother, after all. But you are not alone, you have me, Tei, Mat, and Haku. We're all here to fight for you. Plus, we're visiting the FBI agent tomorrow to get weapons and gadgets to help fight. We won't let Rin and Miku win." He said softly.
Teto smiled, but she still had doubts.
"They'll kill you guys if they find you." She said, remembering the threat in the text.
Len sighed.
"Well, they'll have to put up a fight. I won't let them take you away, then we'll find Neru and Rinto together."
Teto felt as though some of the weight had been taken off her shoulders. She scooted closer to Len until there was almost no space between them. She laid her head on his chest, wrapping one of her arms around his waist. She breathed in the smell of vanilla coming off of him.
"Thank you for being here for me, even after all these years apart." She said, closing her eyes.
A chill ran down her spine as Len wrapped one arm around her waist, and took her hand around his waist with the other.
"I'll always be here for you." He whispered into her ear.
Teto felt herself blushing as she realized this was the closest they'd ever been. She didn't mind at all, though. Len's warmth helped her forget her worries and relax. She wished she could just melt into him.
