Chapter Text
With a deep sigh, I toss my last shirt into the already overstuffed travel bag. Closing it seems like an impossible task now. I don't even know how I managed to cram everything in when I first moved into the warehouse. Biting my lip, I try to compress the chaotic mound of clothes until it fits in the bag. No luck. I might need to leave some of them behind.
“Ugh!” I groan in frustration, my fingers wrestling with the uncooperative zipper. “Why won't you close, you stupid bag?”
With some effort (and a heavy dose of stubbornness), I finally manage to zip it halfway, only to have the damn slider snap in my hand. I fling it across the room with another groan. Maybe this is some kind of cosmic sign that I should delay my move.
No, a little voice in me asserts. I have to leave. It's better this way.
But I can’t deny that I’m going to miss living with the team. While I value my privacy, their company has been a comforting presence, if only for a short time. Still, I'm happy to finally return home.
Scanning the room for anything I might have overlooked, I take in its current state: the barely made bed, the cluttered shelves, the heap of dirty laundry strewn across the floor, the discarded pack of biscuits by the laptop… I've only been here a few weeks, but I've somehow managed to turn this room into a mess riviling my apartment. Talk about making yourself at home. I should probably tidy up a bit before leaving.
My eyes fall on the little duckie perched on the nightstand. I swallow thickly, memories of my time with Adam washing over me. I lose myself in them, a small, wistful smile breaking through the melancholic fog as I run a finger over the plushie's round, yellow back.
I haven't seen him since our… talk. Based on past experiences, I'd wager he's been deliberately avoiding me. It's hard to know for sure, though, since I've also been trying to keep my distance from everyone—not an easy feat when you're surrounded by four powerful vampires, though I suspect the others are merely trying to give me some space while I recover from the recent events.
A soft knock at the door interrupts my musings. The unfamiliar rhythm tells me it’s not Adam, and my heart sinks a little in disappointment.
“Come in,” I mutter, but my mood immediately brightens when the door swings open to reveal the warm and comforting smile of the man I've come to consider one of my closest friends. “Nate! It's good to see you!”
“I've brought you some tea.” He shows me the steaming cup in his hand. “I thought you might appreciate a little treat before your departure.”
I accept the cup and inhale the rich aroma rising from it. Black tea with lemon, my preferred drink. “Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are? Because you're totally the best.”
He lets out a soft chuckle. “I aim to please.”
A comfortable silence settles between us as I bring the cup to my lips. The warm liquid slides down my throat, sending waves of soothing sensations through my body. My eyes flutter shut, and I exhale a hum of appreciation.
When I reopen my eyes, I find Nate studying me, his smile strained but not unkind.
“How are you holding up?” he inquires, his voice radiating more warmth than any hot beverage ever could.
I shrug. “I'm fine.”
“Are you sure?” His brows dip a little in the middle, and I realise he’s not talking about what happened at the auction.
I sit on the edge of the bed with a sigh, tempted to spin a lie. But it would be futile. I've never been a particularly skilled liar, and I am talking to a three-hundred-year-old vampire with heightened senses, after all.
“I will be,” I concede, knowing full well that it’s going to be easier said than done, especially when Adam and I still have to see each other daily. “Eventually.”
At least we won't be living together anymore, I silently remind myself. That should make moving on a little bit easier for both of us.
“Adam doesn't want to pursue a relationship, and I…” I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “I'm going to respect that.”
Nate moves closer, sitting beside me, a look of concern etched onto his face, and places a comforting hand over my shoulder. I find myself leaning into his reassuring presence, pulling him into a half-hug.
“I'm sorry he's being such a…” He pauses, searching for the right words.
“Pain in the arse?” I suggest.
“Not the term I would have used,” he responds with a grimace. “But it captures the sentiment, I suppose.”
I let out a small chuckle. “And we wouldn’t love him half as much if he weren’t.”
“True,” he says, returning my smile.
“Look, I can’t pretend to understand his decision, but I can be professional and follow his orders without turning every interaction between us into a personal problem,” I tell him, then I add, more as a personal pep talk than anything else, “I’ll just… move on with my life and pretend I’m not madly in love with him. If he can do it, so can I.”
Nate frowns deeply, and I don’t need hypersenses to see that this situation pains him too. “You shouldn’t have to.”
“The only other alternative would be to run away, leave all this behind and never look back. But that’s just not who I am. I’m far too stubborn for that.”
“And we wouldn’t love you half as much if you weren’t.”