Tetra Pact

Chapter 27

Eden didn't know why she expected her father to have asked her to come down and have dinner last night. Maybe she was getting too comfortable with the gradual changes that he'd been having, that she casually added her own expectations. She reached under her bed, pulled out the letter from her mother and read it again.

Her father just needed more time, probably.

Someone knocked on her bedroom door, and Eden's eyes lifted slowly to glance towards it. She had been feeling sluggish the whole day and she wasn't done feeling that way yet. So she stared at the door and hoped that Evan would take the hint.

"Eden."

Her heart stopped. It wasn't Evan at her door.

She held her breath, not knowing what to expect. She wasn't even sure what she wanted him to do. Did she want him to leave if she kept silent? Or did she want him to persist until she gave in? She bit her lip and just waited.

Then she heard the sound of keys. Shite. She'd forgotten that she'd given him a set of keys the other day so he could come over whenever he wanted to. And she'd included her bedroom key, of course. She wondered if he was just going to open the door and come in. Maybe she should hide in the bathroom. Or jump into bed and pretend she'd just severely overslept. But nothing happened.

"Do you want me to come in?" asked Asbjørn, gently.

Eden ran her hands through her hair. She didn't know, but she didn't want to leave him hanging either. So she replied, "I... don't know."

There was silence. Then Asbjørn said, "Take your time. I'm right outside if you need me."

It was like a light switched on in Eden's head when he said that. This was the guy she fell in love with a year ago. The guy she's still in love with. At the very least, she owed him an explanation for whatever's happening right now, since she hadn't had such a breakdown in a long time. He didn't know anything about what she was feeling, and he deserved to know. Even more than that - she realised - she wanted him to know. And she wanted to be with him right now.

She picked herself off the floor and crossed the room. She opened the door and her now tearing eyes met his. Then she fell into his open arms and sobbed.

***

It was a routine, really.

Her breaking down and his comforting her. But she allowed that to happen one more time.

After a while of her crying outside, they went back into the room and Asbjørn hoisted her onto her bed. He dragged the study chair over and sat opposite of her, holding her hands in his. Eden glanced up and searched his eyes for any signs of irritation, but all she saw was his usual kindness. She dropped her head.

"Sorry... about this," she mumbled.

He brushed her hair out of her face and lifted her cheek so she would look at him. "There's nothing to be sorry about."

She sniffled.

"Have you eaten?" he asked. Eden wondered if he was going to ask her about it. She hadn't made up her mind if she wanted to tell him everything yet.

"...No."

"Let's go eat. When we return, you tell me what's wrong, alright?" he said, caressing her face gently.

She stared at him, unblinkingly. So he wasn't planning to let it go. But more importantly... "We're going out?" she asked.

"Yeah, you and me. The boys' nanny is here, and they said they can manage themselves for about an hour or so. We'll go on a date." He stood up from the chair, pulling her up.

Eden's eyes remained wide, not knowing what to say.

"Also, keeping everything bottled up isn't good for you," he added. "Let's go."

"Where to?"

"How about the mall from across your school? We can get coconut juice from the shop there," he said, a suggestive look on his face.

Eden frowned, slowly processing his words. "Wait -"

Asbjørn pressed his lips to hers. Then he looked at her smugly.

"It's a secret."