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🅴︎🅿︎🅸︎🆂︎🅾︎🅳︎🅴︎ 🅵︎🅸︎🆅︎🅴︎ Ⓟ︎Ⓐ︎Ⓡ︎Ⓣ︎ Ⓣ︎Ⓗ︎Ⓡ︎Ⓔ︎Ⓔ︎
KALI SIGHED, RECEIVING NO ANSWER from the police station. They didn't have a phone at home either, as Hopper knew that powerful people could trace it and listen in, which meant that there was no way to contact her dad at all. She was starting to wish that she'd never left, but that perspective swiftly changed when Nancy came towards her with a small cup of hot chocolate.
"Hey," she said quietly, sitting on the bench beside her. "Me and Jonathan could only manage to get two rooms, so we'll have to share."
Kali nodded, taking the hot chocolate.
Things were quiet for a moment, and the only thing speaking to them was the cold rain that splattered down over the outside, sheltered roof they were sitting under. Every few moments, Nancy would sneak a glance at Kali, wondering. It had been a year and so much had changed, Kali was nothing like the girl she met that day in the car. Nancy wondered if she still thought the same, if she still felt the same — she refused to believe she was the only one who felt the tension between them.
"I saw you...the other day," she began nervously. "Outside my house."
Kali nodded, turning to her. "It was the first night you weren't with Steve," she said rather than answering, confusing the other girl a little.
"You've been coming to see me?" asked Nancy, her eyebrows knotted. She searched Kaliʼs face for any kind of expression.
Kali turned her head to the side, finally meeting Nancyʼs eyes. "I wanted to know you were safe," she admitted, and the Wheeler almost melted over her words. She shrugged. "You were safe. With Steve."
Nancy nodded, feeling a warm pang shoot through her chest. "He stayed," she said, her tone quiet.
Kali blinked, not letting their eyes leave each otherʼs trance. "So did I," she pointed out softly.
"Did you manage to reach him?" Jonathan asked, leaving the motel to stand outside with the girls, causing them to shift a little at his sudden presence.
"No." Kali stood up, deciding to go inside. "I'll try again in the morning."
༄༄༄
THE THREE SPENT A SHORT hour in the motel room, simply catching up on everything. Jonathan had been spending most of his time watching Will, and his mom had a new boyfriend, who they all liked very much; Nancy was studying a lot and hoping to get a job at the post office this summer — she'd also been in contact with Barbʼs parents a few times, including an awkward dinner at their house with Steve; and, in return, Kali gave them a vague explanation of what living with a family was like, although it was nothing the two of them didn't know already. It felt nice for them to all finally speak again, as Jonathan and Nancy had drifted away from each other over the year too, and it was almost relieving. Back then, they were so much different, so disconnected. Now, they could never be more connected, more warm to each other.
