0 0 1 ━ [ 𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟿: 𝙿𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝙰𝚗𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚜

"I suppose I should probably give you this back." One joined James on the step outside the front door. He was staring absentmindedly into the woods, and her sudden appearance jolted him out of whatever he was daydreaming about.

James looked up to see One holding his jacket out to him. He traced the smooth leather with his fingers before pushing it back to One. "You can keep it."

"Are you sure?" One asked, trying to keep her eagerness at bay. She loved the jacket and did want to keep it for herself but she figured the polite thing was to offer it back, as hard as it was to do so. There was a lot of sentimental value in that old, dusty leather. She had been hiding it in the back of her closet for the last couple days while she tried to fight the urge within her to tell James that she had lost it in the Upside Down.

"I can't believe you kept it after all this time," James chuckled.

James patted the step next to him and gestured for One to take a seat. One slowly dropped onto the stoop and cradled the jacket in her lap.

"It's a nice jacket," One defended herself with a smile. "How are you holding up?"

"As well as I can, I guess," James answered as he continued to stare off into the trees.

"It's a hard transition, but it gets easier," One tried to reassure him. "The most difficult part is learning to let your guard down and trust others. I still haven't mastered that..."

"You trust me, don't you?"

James turned to look at One and she had trouble meeting his gaze. Did she trust him? She wanted to so badly, but there was still something gnawing at her on the inside.

"Y-yeah, of course," One stammered. She quickly tried to hide her hesitation with a smile and as far as she could tell, James seemed to accept it.

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air and provided an opportunity for One to address what had happened to James last night but she struggled with how to word it. "Did you...did you slip out last night? You weren't at your door when I tried to come talk to you."