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CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE TODFTHR
Abby and Steve sit knee-to-knee at the fountain, away from the rest of the group. They don't say anything for a long time, just enjoy the company they give one another. The horrors of the previous days are still fresh, but they're safe for now. There's a soft smile on Steve's face as he glances over at her whenever he thinks that she won't notice. She smiles back at him. Tell him, tell him, tell him something inside of her urges. Tell him before it's too late.
Something overtakes her then because she knows that the voice is right. She knows that they may not have time, there are a million ways that they can die before the day ends. These are the seldom few moments that they can spend together, and they might as well be the last. They're supposed to go to Murray's safe house in Illinois, but their path can be easily intercepted, they can face perils out on the road, and if Hopper's group fails, if the Mind Flayer and its weapon don't disappear then it's all for nothing. The world is plunged in darkness, the sickness festers, the Earth is no more.
Tell him, tell him, tell him.
Abby shifts and clears her throat. "Uh, Steve—"
"—Abby," says Steve at the same time.
"Oh, uh, you—you go first," Abby fumbles as she stares down at her hands folded in her lap.
Steve shakes his head. "No, no, you were going to say something first."
Abby lets out a small, nervous laugh. She opens her mouth to tell him, to satisfy the voice that urges her to confess, to let the butterflies that settle in her stomach whenever Steve is near out. "I—uh, it's—it's nothing, really," she finds herself saying, her mouth has betrayed her heart. They always ask whether it's your mind or your heart that you listen to as if expecting some sort of singular answer. Abby has found that it can be both. "It's kinda stupid, actually. You can go."
Steve takes a deep breath and glances at Abby before looking away. "Oh, well, I wanted to tell you that—"
"Hey, asshole!" Dustin calls as he approaches them. He tosses a set of keys toward Steve, they soar in an arc through the air and Steve catches them easily in his hands. "Let's go! Now!"
"What's going on?" Abby asks.
"We're getting them into the base," Dustin answers. "But first, we need to get to Cerebro."
"Wait, wait, wait, who's Cerbero?" Steve questions.
"My radio tower," Dustin answers.
Abby nods. "Okay, cool, I gotta do something first."
