"𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐦," softly uttered the doctor.
The diagnosis is clear; Alessia had lost the ability to utter a single word for nearly a month. Her parents, initially unconcerned, grew tense upon hearing the news, overcome by a blend of emotions that the...
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•━━ ❦ ━━☠━━ ❦ ━━•
There was a crack in the ceiling.
That's what Law had finally noticed as he tossed and turned on his mattress, hoping to get some sleep for the night. The paint was peeling, and the crack had become large enough for him to lose himself in for more than a minute.
In the hallway, there wasn't a sound, not a step; everyone was already fast asleep. He was the only one still awake, replaying over and over the last words Alessia had said to him.
He regretted the way he had behaved, but he didn't know why.
That Alessia took it the wrong way was one thing, but another was certain: he had told the truth. He and Alessia were not meant to see each other again. She was from South Blue, on the other side of the world, and he would probably never leave the Flevance hospital.
Making plans together, promising to remain friends despite the distance, would have been empty words.
At least, that's what Law had thought after Alessia left the roof. He had feared Lammy would become attached to her, but he had, too, and the violence of such a realization had taken him by the throat as he stared at the rooftop door that had closed a while ago.
Things were different with Alessia, less trivial, more precious, but none of that mattered since they wouldn't see each other again.
So, when Alessia started avoiding him, he had resigned himself. It was better to rip the bandage off quickly rather than dwell on it slowly. But when he joined them at the festival, the girl no longer avoided him. He, who in his mind had already put an end to everything that bound him to her, had found himself once again attached to this friendship that he was convinced he had drawn a line under.
And then Alessia apologized and told him she needed time, time that neither of them had. Law had been hurt; he didn't want to experience this, didn't want to inflict it on himself. So, why was she trying to explain herself to him? Why was she talking to him as if she were going to stay? Law couldn't stand seeing her sinking into the same illusion that threatened him. And, more than anything, he couldn't stand realizing that this bond had remained when he thought it was already gone.
