Dark Country (Detective Loki from Prisoners Fan Fiction)

Part XV: Cloudland

"That's good news, isn't it?" I asked with unsurety.

"It is, but it's only one of the girls. I still have to find the other one," David said as he cupped his hand over mouth while he fell into a contemplative state of mind.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

He remained hesitant before directly answering me. "The first step is to question the girl, assuming she is in the right condition to withstand an interrogation."

"Ugh," I exclaimed. Things never eased up for David, and the part that got to me the most was that I was unable to help him in any capacity. "Sounds like you have your work cut out for you."

He nodded his head in agreement. "I should go now, Emma. I need to get on this while it's still hot."

"I understand," I said with some sadness. We paused shortly before either of us spoke again. "So can I see you tomorrow for lunch?"

"Yeah," he replied. It was obvious that he was distracted, and I couldn't blame him for being so. His work was clearly the most important priority for him right now as it should be. "I'll text you when I can take lunch since I have no clue how my day will turn out."

"Sounds good," I said. "Well, I'll be seeing you, David."

He remained still for a short time, then, unexpectedly he approached me and stood close. While gazing directly into my eyes, he raised his hand and gently ran his thumb down the side of my face. "Remember what I told you about being careful."

As I stared into his sky blue eyes I thought that they seemed to glow, or maybe it was just me losing myself completely in them as I so often tended to do. "Don't worry about me. You have more important things to think about." I added a slight chuckle to lighten the mood.

"But you are important," he answered still gliding the tip of his thumb over my cheek.

I bashfully grinned, and trying to avoid looking like an overexcited dork, I quickly straightened my face again. I didn't really want to give him the impression that I was dying for him, even though inside I was. Over the course of these last few days I had learned the difference between living life and merely existing. You could be alive, but not actually living. "I don't want to hold you up for long. Have a good night, David."

"You, too. And call me ... if you need anything," he said. The color of his friendly eyes reminded me of the bright blue of the Caribbean Sea, which was ironic because I literally felt that I was drowning in them. The not-so subtle thought crossed my mind that he was as much a part of me as the blood that flowed throughout my body -- he was life itself.

"Yep," was all I said as I tried to remain casual, or at least pretend. Before departing, he kissed my forehead, and held my gaze for a brief while longer. It was evident that he was struggling as much as I was to bid farewell, and instead of feeling solace because he didn't want to say goodbye either, I felt an enormous sense of trepidation. Why did I feel as if I were about to lose him all over again?

At last, he walked away. I stayed in my place as I watched him leave. As soon as he was on the other side of the storefront door, nostalgia overcame me, the kind you feel when you're watching a loved one about to embark on a prolonged trip. And I felt abandoned all over again, like the harbor must feel when a ship sails away.

When melancholy started to set in, the tiniest part of me that was good at invocating optimism started to rise to the surface. There's always tomorrow, hope began to whisper. Indeed, it was true that David and I were set to meet up the following day, and even though he was about to come back into my life, I still couldn't believe any of it. Nothing was ever this easy or good, at least not in my world. So, with a lingering sense of wariness towards the future, I continued on with my evening.