Page 82
She runs towards me, and all I can focus on is her.
Her hair, the longest I’ve seen it.
Her glasses, a different pair from usual.
Her sweater, one she’s never worn in the city before.
Emotion hits me in the chest so hard that I struggle to take my next breath.
And then she’s here. In my arms. Squeezing me so tight I’m afraid she’ll never let go. Warm. Safe. Soft. Vanilla floods my nostrils, and it’s the most delicious smell in the world. I press a kiss into her hair, feeling the most settled that I have in weeks.
“Hi,” I whisper as she looks up at me. She shakes her head, disbelief etched into her features.
“Am I dreaming?” She asks, wonder so obvious in her voice.
“If this is a dream, I never want to wake up.” My hand rests against her lower back and I pull her closer to me. I’d do anything to feel her warmth against mine.
Her fingertips reach out and brush the stubble that I’ve neglected to shave, her cheeks flushed. “Prickly,” she laughs.
Before I know it, Eden’s hands reach around my neck and pull me so close that I can feel her breath tickling my mouth, our foreheads resting against each other.
And then I feel her mouth.
It’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.
Time drifts away. Everything drifts away, including the wolf whistle that Jake sends in our direction.
Everything that is not Eden is meaningless.
Everything that is not Eden doesn’t matter.
It’s her.
It’s always been her.
26
EPILOGUE
Eden.
I glance at the clock on the wall. Five minutes is all I need to get this experiment finalised. Five minutes and then I can be out of here. Pressing the last button, everything clicks into place. Just like I planned. Sighing with relief, I head back to my desk and grab my bag.
Over the last four years this lab has become a second home for me. I spend more time here than I do in my apartment. Signing up for my PhD I knew what I was getting into, so I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We’re so close to having a breakthrough—so close to having an early detection process for countless illnesses. After my first paper was published, more and more grants rolled in, enabling us to complete research in ways we could only dream about. Hours have been spent in this lab’s white halls, windows overlooking the entire city. The lights below are starting to flicker on now, further serving as a reminder to get my ass into gear and head out.
Waving a quick goodbye to my supervisor, the winter air envelops me as I step out onto the street. I tuck my nose into my scarf as I bury my hands in my pockets.
“This better be good,” I murmur to myself half-heartedly before heading off. It’s only a few minutes walk and the brisk air only makes me move faster.
The bookstore spills golden light onto the footpath, bell tinkling gently as I open the door. Mum spots me and waves me over, grinning widely. Dad, Jake, Kiara, Molly, Charlie, and Rachel have already claimed the whole front row, only a few feet away from the make-shift stage. Two wooden chairs face each other, with a set of tables covered in books behind.
“How was work, honey?” Mum asks, but I’m too preoccupied with thoughts of someone else to respond with anything but a grunt, glancing around the room. She shares a look with Dad that I pretend not to notice. Jason shoots me a shy wave a few rows back that I do respond to. But there’s no sign of him. Yet.
“I’m going out back,” I say to no-one in particular. The crowd has noticeably thickened in the few minutes I’ve been inside, making it extra difficult to push my way through.
I spot a girl who was in the business meetings with us, one of the booksellers. Her short curly hair brushes her shoulders as she organises the book stand, then she spots me. Her name twinges in the back of my mind. Cassie?
