PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

BONUS CHAPTER 1.4

"Then why'd you come out here?"

"Because I thought..."

I thought I could win him back, despite everything we had been through. Because we had been through so much, I don't want to just throw that away. I want him to be in my life again. For real.

"Look, Kenji has missed you like crazy. He used to talk about you nonstop, and it literally drove Mom and I insane. And then he got quiet, but since talking to you a few days ago, he's been back at it. You think you're going to hurt him or yourself again, but you have to understand, he's willing to get his heart broken by you if it means spending any time with you. I've never seen him happier than when he was with you." Darius slid over to the love seat, taking a seat beside Eva. "You don't have to trust me, but believe me when I say you two deserve to be together. In the words of Sammy, I'll never stop shipping Kangel."

Eva's eyes stung with fresh unfallen tears, and she let out a laugh, wiping at her eyes. "Kangel, huh?"

"Sammy came up with it on our secret island. I think it has a nice ring to it."

"Yeah, okay," she said, chuckling.

~~~

Hours later, Darius and Eva found themselves out and about, exploring San Francisco. Darius claimed he knew all the good spots, and Eva simply wanted to spend her time in California sightseeing since Kenji was off the table. Well, sightseeing was always a part of the plan, but now it had become the entire plan.

He took her to Chinatown first, and then Pier 39, and they finished the night with a ghost tour. The following day, when Darius was in school, Eva took herself to see the Golden Gate Bridge, which was miraculously not wrapped in clouds, and de Young. On Tuesday, she took a two hour Uber to Monterey, where she spent hours staring at fish, pretending she was in Finding Dory. She ate ramen from this tiny restaurant in downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea, and hot chocolate from a tiny coffee shop down the road. She admired the sea, and by the time the afternoon rolled around, she was scheduling another Uber back to the Bay Area.

Wednesday and Thursday she lounged around and tagged along with Jacqueline on her adventures, which were really just her errands, and finally felt comfortable with Kenji and Darius's mom. It was clear she just wanted the best for Kenji, but she had learned that maybe Eva was the best— with how much he talks about her and her him. They really were made for each other.

Jacqueline didn't like that Eva didn't have any family to rely on in New York, what with her Oma being in a nursing home, and her Opa gone. She especially didn't like that Eva implied she's rich enough to survive without anyone else, and promptly told her so as the two stood in front of a bank. Eva didn't know how to respond, and she especially didn't know what to say to Jacqueline when she nonchalantly mentioned bringing her into the family.

Every night, Eva ate dinner with Jacqueline, Darius and Brand, and every night she slept in Kenji's bed, wishing he was there with them. With her. It almost felt wrong sleeping in his room without him, but there wasn't anything Eva could do about that.

On her last night, an hour before bed and after her shower, she was on FaceTime with Yaz and Sammy, who were in Texas and North Carolina respectively. The trio of girls talked, just like old times on Isla Nublar. Eva missed them, too. Maybe she'd visit them over summer after her second semester of college was over. Maybe she could visit all of her friends.

"Oh, Eva, did you hear?" Sammy said, looking into the camera with a knowing look, though Eva was sure that look was directed at Yaz, and not her. "I told Yaz I loved her."

"Yes, I vividly remember you two talking about it during check-in last month."

"Well, I do. I am head over heels in love with her."