27. Chapter Twenty-Eight #5
“I will.” I promised Malek as I held his gaze and tightened my arms around him. Malek nodded and kissed my forehead, releasing me only when I stepped back.
Nobody asked me to stay because that question had already been settled.
They knew I was leaving, they knew why I was going, and they knew I wanted to return.
This morning wasn't another argument about my career or a test of whether they could accept it.
It was simply the part where we had to say goodbye.
I kissed Malek once before stepping away, only for Tavian to catch my hand and pull me back for another quick kiss.
“Greedy.” I accused Tavian as I touched my fingers to my mouth and caught the faint satisfaction in his face.
“Yes.” Tavian admitted without shame as he continued holding my hand until I took another step toward the trail. Luca laughed under his breath behind him, and even Malek's mouth moved slightly. It made turning away a little easier without pretending any part of this was actually easy.
I had almost reached the first bend when Tavian called after me.
“Evie.” Tavian called my name from behind me, his voice carrying through the morning insects and bird calls.
I stopped and turned. He stood beside Luca and Malek with his usual restless energy completely gone.
“I love you.” Tavian told me as his arms hung loosely at his sides, his amber eyes fixed on mine.
“I love you too. All three of you.” I answered Tavian as I looked from him to Luca and Malek. Luca's purr deepened, Malek dipped his head once, and Tavian finally smiled before I turned back toward the station, unwilling to give my eyes enough time to become inconvenient.
Mara was already outside when I arrived with a mug in one hand and the transport manifest in the other. The truck waited near the storage area while the final hard cases were secured in the rear, its engine idling beneath the morning bird calls around the clearing.
“You're early.” Mara told me as she checked her watch, the brief relief in her face disappearing quickly beneath her usual dry composure.
“I have a reputation to maintain.” I answered Mara as I adjusted the strap of my personal bag.
“You really don't.” Mara replied as she lowered her wrist and gave me a quick once-over, apparently confirming that I'd survived my final night well enough to satisfy whatever professional concern she'd had.
I looked toward my equipment, where the cases I'd spent six weeks opening, closing, dragging through rooms, and organizing were strapped down in neat rows.
“Everything loaded?” I asked Mara as the driver secured the final buckle and tugged it twice.
“Everything except you.” Mara answered as she tucked the manifest beneath her arm, her expression softening before she set the mug on the railing. “Take care of yourself, Evie.”
“You too.” I told Mara as she opened her arms and I stepped into the offered hug.
Six weeks of route logs, shared meals, bad coffee, computer screens, and knowing another competent person was waiting for my check-in meant something, even if neither of us was going to pretend we'd suddenly become lifelong best friends.
“And send me something obnoxious when Wild Terrain puts one of your photographs somewhere impressive.” Mara instructed me as she released me and reached for her mug again.
“I'll make sure you regret asking.” I promised Mara as I stepped backward toward the truck.
“I already do.” Mara replied as she raised her mug toward me in farewell.
I climbed into the vehicle with my personal bag at my feet and my smaller camera case secured with the rest of my equipment.
The station disappeared behind us first, followed by the storage buildings and the opening where the western trail entered the forest. Wet vegetation crowded close to both sides of the road as we moved farther away, and eventually everything familiar disappeared behind layers of green.
Usually, I ended an assignment by making sure nothing of mine remained behind. Every drawer got emptied, every shelf was cleared, and every piece of gear came with me because there was no reason to leave anything in a temporary place when I had no idea whether I'd ever see it again.
This time, a soft shirt remained folded inside my drawer at the temple.
Tavian's dark stone sat on my shelf beside a spare hair tie and empty memory-card cases, my old lens cloth remained near the nest, cheap equipment waited inside Luca's sealed box, and my scent had worked deeply enough into the bedding that it would still be there after I was gone.
I carried Tavian's spiral shell safely inside my camera bag, Luca's fabric wrap held charging cables I'd use regularly, and Malek's charcoal shirt waited near the top of my personal bag where I could reach it without unpacking everything else.
I hadn't forgotten anything at the temple. Every item I'd left there had stayed because I expected to use it again, and for the first time, leaving part of my life behind didn't feel careless.
It felt like a promise.