Teen Helpline [#1 of the Helpline Trilogy]

7: 11 am

There is a painful silence that parallels the tension as they both take each other in for the first time. Then, he says, almost disbelievingly: "Eva."

She smiles tightly and awkwardly folds her arms. "Hey."

"Eva...you're here?" He ends in a question mark because that's what his whole life, since Sarah died, has been. 

She gets the will to move closer, approaching his bed and moving her blonde fringe awkwardly from her forehead and pushes the glasses up her nose. It's a cute thing that she does, really, Damien finds, the way how she projects this confidence, bubbly tumblr nerd persona in their conversation but is so awkwardly poised in her limbs when it comes to real life. She tilts her chin to meet his gaze. "Yeah, um, how are you?"

A wave of fury swells in his chest and he chokes out: "That's all you have to say?"

Her tongue wets her lip as she downcasts her eyes. "I'm- uh- sorry."

The fury expands and pours entirely to his brain. "Apology unaccepted."

"I really am."

"You ignored me for three fucking months."

"I'm sorry." Her grey eyes well up and her nose starts to redden. 

"Stop crying!" 

"I'm sorry. I really am. I didn't mean to...I just needed to space away from my feelings before I can reconnect."

"Space away from your feelings?" He is now confused- blissfully unaware of how Eva really felt. 

"Oh, like you didn't know," Eva says. "I love you. Do you not know how much I feel for you? You make me want to write a bad fanfic about how we'll end up together even if in real life, we fucking won't." 

He reels back, trying to progress her words, "You- you love me?"

She breathes heavy, panting from her rant, and eyes him sulkily. "Yes, you doofus." 

"But you can't-"

"Yes, I do. Unfortunately." 

"But I thought you hated me- and I had no one else- and you were the only one left and you go...they all go..."

"Don't you dare. Don't live for them, don't live for other people, don't live for me, but for yourself. Anyway, what I'm saying is that I...love you and I went away because I thought you didn't and it was just too weird to hang around with a bunch of ugh feelings. So basically I'm sorry. I really, really am. Sorry." 

"Stop saying sorry." 

"Sorry."

"I know you are." 

"I mean it." 

"Prove it."

So she kisses him. 

___

anyway, please vote and comment!