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Edgar reached out to a few more friends and one agreed to keep a close eye on Henry for the next couple of days. It was only a matter of time before he met with his contact again. He wouldn't have risked so much if he planned to stop soon. But why? Was this person doing all this for someone he fell for? Or was he the orchestrator? Was this all done out of anger? He couldn't get into the human world, so he wanted to destroy it?
We wouldn't find the answers today but maybe soon. Once back in the car, Edgar took me home and I ordered pizza instead of cooking as originally planned. My plans had changed so much since leaving Nova yesterday morning. If I knew that might have been the last time I saw him, I would've tried harder to wake him. To hold him tight one last time and kiss him until we were both breathless. I would have done everything differently. I would have tried to find a way to stay with him so I didn't end up where we were now–unable to reach each other.
****
The next day was long and there were no new answers, nor was I any closer to finding Nova. No doubt Edgar was sick of me messaging and calling.
Edgar: Relax man. We aren't going to catch this guy overnight. Henry hasn't left his house since yesterday and I doubt he will. He'll probably be hanging low for a little while.
If he and the human he was working with were smart, they both would be. But judging by the headliner on the news, one of them felt they were in the clear enough to create more chaos. The news reporter said they caught the monster involved and he'd been dealt with. I didn't like their tone when talking about Nova. I hated all of this. The people involved were all still out there. They are free and living without a care in the world, while Nova is out there alone. I wasn't sure if he was okay either. What if they really didn't just let him go?
I sat on the couch, flipping through the images we took together on my phone. I stopped when I got to the new naughty ones he left for me. I was smiling and feeling hopeless all at once. I kept starting from the beginning whenever I reached the last image of him. I did it at least five times before finally moving to the kitchen to warm me up some leftover pizza.
My legs felt heavy with each step I took and the tightness in my chest wouldn't loosen. I finally turned off my phone for an hour to prevent myself from checking it every second, and took a long shower. Nova's face appeared every time I closed my eyes. I swear I could hear him talking as I stepped under the warm water.
“I don't trust showers,” I remember him saying last time I got him to join me. “No water coming down that fast seems safe.”
I missed him questioning everything. A couple of days already felt like an eternity. Maybe because our future was less clear than before. The water went cold and I stepped out of the tub to dry myself. My reflection was unrecognizable. My eyes were redrimmed, my face paler than usually and I looked like I hadn't slept in years. Apparently two days was enough to make me look like a character from Night of the Living Dead.
Movies made me think of Nova. So did pancakes, orange soda and the flowers blooming in my bathroom. Everything made me think of him. All reminders of what I can't have again. It wasn’t only about me though. I'd feel better knowing he was safe. Seeing a picture of him in his cabin looking at his glow in dark stars while listening to the music I downloaded for him.
Sighing, I crawled into bed and turned on the TV. Nothing appealed to me as I flipped through various movies and shows. Then I reached “Pretty Woman” and hit play. I imagined Nova's laughter was coming from right beside me when it got to the part where they were at the opera. When my hand landed on the empty space, an ugly sensation filled my stomach.
I grabbed my phone and turned it back on. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a notification waiting for me from the Monster Match app. How? Not questioning it for long, I hit read and sure enough Nova was active.
Pieces of me: Hi.
There was a green dot by his name and my fingers flew across the screen in excitement.
Me: How are you?
Pieces of me: I've had better weeks.
Me: Me too.
I wanted nothing more than another chance to talk to him again. I got it and was at a loss for words. I sat here speechless. Nova was talking to me. Or was it someone pretending to be Nova? It was hard to trust anything at this point. They said he was banned from the base. I had no missed calls from Edgar or the hotel. It was really late for Nova to be at the library. It closed an hour ago. It couldn't be him.
Pieces of me:What are you doing?
Me:Going to bed soon, you?
Pieces of me: Same. You want the right side or left side?”
Me: What?
Pieces of me:Of the bed, silly. It'll be way more comfortable than your closet. You have a lot of stuff in here.
What was he going on about?
Me: Why are you in my closet?
Pieces of me: Oh good you agree and think I should be in your bed too.
I glanced at the closet, my chest heavily rising and falling. Holding the phone tighter in my hand, I slowly walked toward the closed door. Was I actually checking? Was I that desperate and hopeful? Licking my dry lips, my hands shook and I reached the door knob. I took deep breaths while slowly turning it and when the door opened, I jumped back at the sight of white hair peeking out between my jackets.
“Nova?” Slower than before, I stepped forward again and gently pushed back my jackets. Nova was looking down at his feet, huddled against the wall and as soon as his eyes met mine, he jumped into my arms, rubbing his face into my chest. “It worked.” He sniffed. “It actually worked. I'm here in your house. In the human world. With you.” He looked up at me again and swiped a few strands of hair from his face.
“How? Did I fall asleep? Am I having some crazy dream?”
