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“Spot on.” He laughs.
I can’t help the flush of triumph that warms my cheeks. It’s not just about getting the riddle right—it’s about matching wits with Charlie and coming out on top.
“All right then, genius,” he says, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Want to know what it all means?”
My heart kicks up a notch. The game’s not over yet. “Lay it on me.”
Charlie’s gaze is intense, holding mine captive. “The first riddle,” he starts, “ was about identity, the masks we all wear. You see, I’m not just the joker, the life of the party. There’s more beneath the surface.”
I nod, intrigued despite myself. It’s rare for Charlie to peel back his layers, even rarer for him to invite someone else to look underneath.
“The second,” he continues, “that’s about the roles we play, how we change depending on who’s watching. Like me with you, now. I’m not acting, Ever. This is real.”
A shiver runs down my spine, his words weaving around me like a spell.
“And the last one,” he says, voice barely above a whisper, “shadows follow, they reflect, but they also conceal. And what I’m hiding...” He trails off, his smile turning sly. “Well, that’s for another time.”
“Tease,” I accuse, but my tone is light and playful.
“Guilty as charged.” His laughter is low, sending a wave of warmth through me.
“Why the riddles?”
He shrugs, his casual manner back in place. “Why not? Life’s a game, Ever. And I intend to play it with you.”
I catch my breath. Playful or not, Charlie’s words have weight, and I can’t ignore the edge of darkness lurking behind them. Whatever this game is, I’m already too deep in to walk away now, even if I wanted to.
29
DAMIEN
Hesitant, I knock once.
“Yeah?” she calls out wearily, giving me even more pause. She sounds exhausted, and I don’t want to add to that.
“Hello?” she snaps, and it makes me smile.
Pushing the door open, I step in like a shadow trespassing into a realm of light. Her room is simple, a reflection of her, with books piled high and notes scattered like fallen leaves. This is the second time I’ve been in here, but this time feels different. As if anything is possible. But it’s all in my hands.
“Hey,” I murmur as I shut the door behind me. I can’t look at her yet; can’t face those striking green eyes that see too much. They’re like scanners, always on the lookout for bullshit, and I’m a walking lie detector’s nightmare. But I owe her this—my truth, raw and unpolished.
Ever sits cross-legged on her bed, the glow from her bedside lamp casting a halo around her blondehair. It makes her look otherworldly, and for a second, I wonder if she’s really there or just a figment of some hopeful delusion.
“Damien?” Her voice pulls me back, and I force myself to meet her gaze. She doesn’t say anything more; she just waits. Always waiting for me to catch up.
I take a deep breath, my whole being tightening before I consciously relax. “I walked out on you today,” I start, the words feeling like thorns in my throat. “That was crappy of me. You were just trying to help.”
She nods, silent encouragement, and something unfurls in my soul—a coil of darkness I keep buried. I’ve perfected the art of concealment, but the mask starts to slip with Ever.
“It’s like... there’s this noise in my head, constant and loud,” I confess, my voice rough with the strain of admission. “It tells me I’m never going to be enough. That the part of me that is broken will end up ruining me and everyone around me. I can’t begin to explain why I’m so broken, but this thing inside me just won’t shut up. It’s always there, haunting every moment.” I drag a hand through my hair, the familiar gesture doing nothing to ease the turmoil inside. “I didn’t have an overly shitty childhood,” I blurt out after a second. “It’s not how I was raised that did this, I was born this way. I’ve always wanted to walk into the dark and never come out. It’s frightening because I don’t know how to fix it because I don’t know why I’m so broken. But when I’m with you, it’s different.”
Ever leans forward, her eyes never leaving mine. “Different, how?” Her voice is soft, inviting me to reveal more, and I feel the urge to lean into that warmth.
“It quiets down.” The confession feels like shedding armour I didn’t know I was wearing. “It doesn’t stop. It never stops, but being around you is like a moment of peace. Like you’re the eye in my storm.” The words hang in the air between us, heavy with something that’s been building since before the day we met. Since the first day I laid eyes on her back in the first year, and we knew who she was to us.
She reaches out, her fingers brushing against mine, and it’s like a jolt of life surges through me. It’s so simple, but it ignites something fierce, something I’m not ready to feel, so I snatch my hand back.
She curls hers into a fist, getting it. “Damien, that noise doesn’t know shit. You are enough. More than enough.” Her conviction startles me because I didn’t expect such a harsh response. But it’s not harsh in the way that she doesn’t understand; it’s like she’s trying to be forceful enough for both of us.
