The door opened slowly.
Guest dropped the backpack on the living room floor and didnโt even turn on the lights. The weight of the whole day seemed stuck to her skin. her head throbbed, and her stomach turned with a mixture of stress and exhaustion.
She fell on the couch. She sighed. She closed her eyes.
Five minutes later, someone knocked on the door.
She went there without thinking too much, already expecting anything - except him.
Dean
Briarโs sweatshirt, wet hair from the bath, food bag in one hand, a kind of shy candy in the eye.
โYou disappeared all day,โ he said. โHanna said you were kind of... in the bad. I came to see if you needed company or silence.โ
She stared at him for a second - watery eyes, but no crying.
โI had a horrible day.โ
โSo let me try to be the good part of it.โ
She opened the door.
Dean came in, took off his sneakers, dropped the bag on the table and approached slowly, like someone who understands the space of someone tired. But when she finally leaned her forehead against his chest, tateโs whole body relaxed.
He wrapped her in his arms, without saying anything.
It just stayed there.
His hands on her back, making slow circles. His calm breathing anchoring hers.
โYou donโt need to smile at me, Guest,โ he whispered, after a while. โWe can just... exist.โ
She held his T-shirt, her eyes closed.
โThank you for coming.โ
โWhenever you go... I come.โ