"It's fine, Mommy..." she sighed. "From now on, I'll know not to deal with such psychos... What an idiot I was... Anyway, let's not talk about it for now... just the thought of him makes me sick..."
☙ ❦ ❧
"Risha... you awake?" Arina's mother peeped into the room. Arina opened her eyes slightly but didn't turn around. "There's someone here to see you..."
"I said I don't want to see him. Not now, not ever..." the girl grumbled, guessing by her mother's voice who exactly this could be.
She immediately closed her eyes again and shivered: ever since she regained consciousness, she couldn't shake off the lingering feeling of tightness in her chest. A sense of loss and emptiness...
On the one hand, of course, she was glad that it was all over, that she had woken up, and it was all just a dream. However, memories of that strange world still haunted her... Even the nights spent in completely ordinary dreams couldn't reset those impressions, as if it wasn't just a dream after all.
If anything, the more time passed, the more regret she felt about how it all ended. And also, from realizing that she would never see Kakashi again. Whom she had rejected because of Maxim – who was not worth it... And even though it didn't matter anymore, that fact only intensified her resentment and inexplicable anxiety.
"It's not who you think it is," her mother said with a smile, making Arina open her eyes again and raise herself on the elbow a little. "Come in, come in..."
She moved aside and the visitor entered the room, while Arina was struggling a bit to turn around, but the next moment she froze, meeting the gaze of a pair of grey eyes, framed with coal-black eyelashes, sharply contrasting against the light, as if sun-faded, hair.
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Overcoming her confusion, she made an effort and finally sat up.
"Arina, this is Kirill," her mother introduced the young man. "He's the one who got you out and provided first aid before the ambulance arrived... If it wasn't for him," The woman choked up and fell silent, pressing her hand to her mouth.
"I apologize for disturbing you..." the young man said in a pleasant soft voice, and Arina flinched. "I'm very glad that you've finally woken up, Arina."
The girl kept staring at her saviour intently. The height, the build, the eyes, the mimic, the voice, and even the hair – though not exactly silver but just unusually light... The long bangs almost consealed his left eye, and yet... Arina exhaled and held her breath again – over this eye, there was... 'No, that's impossible...'
He was wearing a medical mask, as required by the rules, a black one – which enhanced the impression.
"Kirill was eager to make sure personally that you're okay," her mother explained, surprised by her daughter's strange reaction. "It's a miracle that he happened to be on that bridge at that very moment... Otherwise, oh... How lucky we were..." At the thought, she barely held back a new sob.
