Chapter Text
1.
March 1st, 2018
Eva is strolling trough the neighbourhood. The flowers are in bloom and their faint smell is drifting through the air. As nice as the nature surrounding her is now that spring has finally come, the cold wind is still making Eva shiver, despite the many layers of clothing she is wearing. But she is used to it, she lives in Norway after all.
She can hear the distant cheering of children who are playing in the park, chasing each other and laughing loudly. She smiles. She was one of them a long time ago. Actually it wasn’t that long but after everything that has happened in the past few years it felt like an eternity.
She’s back with Jonas and has been since Sana’s Eid party. Things are going well between them now, maybe that break was a good thing after all, because she finally learned who she is, what she likes, what she wants, what her dreams, hopes and opinions are. It was like a self descovery, a rebirth and a breath of fresh air. She couldn’t have done that with Jonas by her side, because as she told him when they broke up, she came to the point where his opinion mattered more than her own and that wasn’t ok.
She also realised that she in not as straight as she thought. The kisses she shared with Ingrid before Nissen weren't just a joke to her. The feeling she had in her chest when looking at Noora in the first year wasn’t just admiration. The fact that she enjoyed kissing Vilde wasn’t just the effect of alchohol. Apparently Vilde didn’t feel like it was nothing either because she now has a girlfriend. She is happy for her friend, she is. When Vilde came out to her shaking and with tears in her eyes after breaking up with Magnus, Eva hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. Told her that she’s proud of her. When she met her girlfriend she also smiled. She is tall and dark haired and beautiful. She can tell that they really like each other. But she can’t help but wonder how things could worked out between them if she hadn’t got back with Jonas. No don’t go there Eva you’re happy with him.
And she really is. Jonas supports her and isn’t bothered at all by the fact that she is bisexual. He is more mature now, maybe the fact that his best friend came out to him played a big part in his change of mindset because she remembers clearly how Elias, the asshole he was friends with in first year, made those dumb jokes about Isak and how Jonas didn’t try to defend him at all. She shakes her head at the memory as she takes a sip from her tea and continues walking. Whatever, it’s in the past. As a wise person once said "Life is now". Speaking of which…
Is that..It seems so. Isak is there on a bench, crying, full on sobbing. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What do I do
“Isak?”
Isak raises his head, eyes wide looking like a deer in headlights. Then recognition flickers in his gaze and he wipes his tears away as fast as he can using both his hands.
“Eva hi” he says voice choked sounding more like a sob
Fuck
“Are you ok?” She asks tentatively, sitting next to him on the bench. Funny because she is pretty sure this is the bench they were sitting on back in the first year when they had ‘the talk’ and also where she came out to him when she realised that she is bi. He laughed back then and said how he had read somewhere that when somebody comes out to their group of friends, in a few years it becomes clear that they weren’t the only non-straight person in the grop. Seems like gay people find each other unknowingly through the power of gaydar or something. She laughed too, back then, but now she isn’t laughing, because her friend is clearly upset judging by the way he was crying a few minutes ago.
“Yeah yeah I’m fine”, he says trying to force a smile but she can’t be fooled.
“No you’re not”
“No I’m not” he repeats sighing loudly and bringing his hands to his face. “I...uhhhh...had a fight with Even”
Well shit. She didn’t expect this. They were one of the healthiest and happiest couple she has ever seen. Always looking at each other as if they hung on the moon and she would have been grossed out by their sappines and the pda if she wasn’t happy for her friend. She remembers clearly how closed off he used to be and she can see how soft he becomes near Even. Jonas confirmed that they are both completely in love and how they can’t keep their hands of each other when he is at their place for a game of fifa.
“What happened?”
“Well, he’s been acting very strange lately. At first I was afraid he might be slipping but he’s not. The thing is, he’s never at home. In the morning he is at uni, after that he is at work. I think he is taking double shifts but I have no idea why. Then in the evenings, he’s either at his parents’ or with Mikael working on some project or simply hanging out with the boys. When he finally comes home he is too tired to do anything, he just goes to sleep. It’s like we never see each other anymore and we’re living togerher for god’s sake.
Ok she can see his point
"Well have you told him that?”
“I did.” He gulps. “I told him today but he didn’t take it very well. Said he is sorry but he is doing everything he can. You see, the thing is that I’m very stressed as well and I haven’t been sleeping well lately and I just snapped and..I accused him of cheating on me even though I don’t believe that” He seems on the verge of tears again.
“Shit Isak”
“Yeah he was extremly upset when I said that and like dissapointed with me and said that he can’t keep doing this if I don’t trust him”
'This’ meaning their relationship? oh dear god no
"And then we shouted some more things at each other that I can’t even remember and then finally I said 'maybe we’re better off' and stormed out and now I’m…well…here." Now he is crying again.
Eva is speechless. She has to think before coming up with any advice for him. In the meantime she just wraps her arms around him, hugs him as tight as she can and lets him cry on her shoulder. Huh funny she has flashbacks from the first year again, only back then it was the other way around.
“You know what I think? That you need to talk, properly this time and without shouting at each other. You don’t believe what you said, right? That you’re better off?”
“No, of course no, I love him too much”
“Then go talk to him, I’m sure he has calmed down as well. Maybe he has a good reason for acting the way he does, you never know. And even if he doesn’t, Isak you have to get used to this if you want to be with him forever, think about it. You’ll get married and have jobs and maybe kids, I don’t know, and you’ll hardly see each other, that’s how relationships between adults work. You have to understand this. You just need to find a compromise. ”
He looks at her and then down at the ground
“And have you thought that maybe you’re not doing that good yourself? I mean you’re a third year, exams are coming and I know that you are a huge nerd, I bet you spend your whole day studying with Sana and I know that from her as well. You have to go to work as well. Then you go out with Jonas, Magnus and Mahdi and I know that because Jonas is my boyfriend and he tells me everything now. What I mean is, you don’t have much free time either. Maybe he is doing this to give you a taste of your own medicine.”
“You…you think so?”
“I don’t know but it’s a possibility. Just talk to him, I’m serious.”
“You think he’ll want to talk to me after everything I’ve said?” He says pulling out his phone
“Well there’s only one way to find that out, right?”
“But he hasn’t tried to contact me and I’ve been out for hou-Oh shit, my phone was switched off fuck fuck fuck, there are 16 missed calls and like 10 messages. ”
Eva laughs and glances down at the screen
I’m sorry.
Isak I’m sorry
Forgive me
Please come home
Baby
Let’s talk
Can you at least let me know that you’re ok
I’m getting really worried
Isak please answer
Are we over?
And then the phone lights up again
Isak picks up this time “I’m sorry”
“Thank god I was so worried. No baby, I am sorry, if you’re not coming home can you at least let me know you’re okay?”
“No, I mean, I am coming, I am on my way.”
“Ok I love you”
“I love you too”
Damn Eva thought Only these two could say that they love each other while fighting.
“Eva? Thank you, really, you’re a good person…and a great friend. I wish I had done the same for you back then” He smiles sadly
Ugh first year bullshit again
“You are a great friend too and you are long forgiven, now go get your man”
They hug thightly and Isak almost runs.
These two
Eva lingers looking in the direction Isak went for a while. She hopes things will work out between the two of them. Right now she think it will be okay. She hopes so. She meant it when she said that she forgave Isak. She's done worse things to her friends to Ingrid if she is being honest with herself
***
Later when she gets home and meets Jonas, she finds out that Even was working long hours because he wanted to go on an expensive vacation with Isak in the summer, just the two of them, and he was saving money. He was also working on another short movie about them.
Well
Faen