(Untitled)

[nothingtomiss]

It takes him longer than it should to put it all together.

He wakes up slowly, stretching both arms over his head. On mornings like this, he spends an our or so awake in bed before he gets up and goes his separate ways, slipping back into bed with Terry before she's up for the day. It's a slow start to the day and it always feels glorious.

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[number_unlucky]

I was only slightly worried. Slightly, because usually Nate had been back from Brad's by now, but there wasn't exactly much that could have happened to him, It wasn't like he could get mugged, or attacked, or even chewed on by a dinosaur. Everything outside seemed calm, none of the usual buzz that announced trouble on the island. This close to the compound, you tended to overhear enough bits and pieces.

I was expecting it to be him. But it was Brad--and only him. The fact that he hadn't bothered to knock and the look on his face meant I could almost guess.

There was one thing I hadn't figured could happen to Nate, and I tried to dismiss it as I looked up. "Yeah?" I said, almost not wanting to know.

[nothingtomiss]

"Tell me that he's been here," says Brad, jaw set, still standing in the doorway. He desperately wants to believe that, even if Nate isn't here now, he's been here, a minute or so before. If Remy's seen him, it'll be proof of some kind.

He's willing her to say he's been here.

[number_unlucky]

"No," I said, and I wasn't sure if that was a response to his statement or a reaction to it instead. Probably both. My breath caught in my chest, or maybe it was my heart. Both anatomically impossible, but it felt pretty damn true.

I shook my head slowly. "No," I said, and swayed slightly, catching myself on the table.

[nothingtomiss]

He feels his stomach drop away. Of all the things that he was ever expecting to happen, this never even featured. Somehow, he always thought that he was going to go first. He's barely thinking as he crosses the space between them. He's barely aware of dropping down onto his knees and reaching for her with one arm.