Arika looked up, still trembling. In front of her was Koen.
—Koen… — she murmured. she murmured.
He was looking at her with concern, kneeling by her makeshift mattress.
—What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? You were sweating… and mumbling things —he said quietly.
Arika tried to say something, but the words stuck. She stammered, struggling to calm her breathing.
—I… — she managed to say, holding a hand to her chest.
Koen sighed, looking away for a few seconds.
—If you can't talk, don't strain yourself —he commented, with a mixture of concern and coldness.
Arika looked at him, annoyed by his tone.
—It's not that… it's just… it's hard for me — he answered in a broken voice.
—Relax, it was just a dream —he said, his voice low but firm.
She pursed her lips, feeling her heart beat even faster.
—You don't understand. You have no idea what I felt.
Koen arched an eyebrow, leaning in a little closer.
—And what did you feel? — he asked.
Arika stared at him, her eyes still wet.
—Fear. —her voice cracked—. Fear of losing… those I care about.
Koen was silent for a moment, as if her words had struck him somehow. Finally, he looked down.
—Fear won't do you any good out there. If you don't learn to control it, it will consume you or worse, paralyze you — he replied firmly, though her tone softened slightly.
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
—You talk as if it never happens to you.
—It does. More than I'd like —he admitted, without raising his voice.
Arika remembered the conversation they'd had earlier, about the friend she was still waiting for. Ethan. She didn't want to insist, but she couldn't help but say:
—You still haven't heard from him?
Koen shook his head, with a curt gesture.
—No. But he's still out there. I know. —then he looked straight at her, and his voice hardened a little—. That's why I don't let myself fall into these nightmares.
Arika wanted to retort, but at that moment, the door to the warehouse burst open. Reize walked in with a small box in his hands. Seeing the state Arika was in, he put the box aside and ran to her.
—Arika, what's wrong? Are you all right? —she asked, kneeling down beside her, his face full of concern. He touched her forehead gently—. You look pale... Are you in pain?
—You look like you had a nightmare — Koen explained, giving her some space, though his gaze was still fixed on Arika.
Reize took Arika's hands gently, looking into her eyes.
—That's it… it's over, Arika. I'm here with you.
Arika pressed her lips together, holding back tears. Finally, she blurted out in a whisper:
— It's just that... in the dream... you were leaving. You were leaving forever.
The words trembled in her throat, almost breaking.
Reize caressed her face, with a tenderness that only those who have already healed that same pain many times have.
—Calm down. Remember what I told you?
Arika looked at her, still trembling.
—I promised to stay with you always —whispered Reize—. And nothing, absolutely nothing, is going to make me break that promise.
Then, unable to contain herself any longer, Arika hugged her tightly. He held her as if he had just gotten her back after losing her.
Reize also wrapped his arms around her, pressing her gently against his chest.
—It's going to be okay —she whispered in Arika's ear—. I am and will be with you. Always.
Koen watched them silently, a faint smile on his face. Seeing Arika and Reize holding each other like that, so sincere, so close... it reminded him how important it was to have someone to hold on to in the midst of the chaos. That kind of bond was rare in those times. Genuine.
Then, inevitably, his mind led him to think of someone else.
Ethan.
His old friend. His right-hand man. His secretary. His brother from another life, one that already seemed far away.
Koen looked down and reached into his jacket pocket. He took out his phone, quickly unlocked it, and opened his message tray. He searched through the chats... Ethan's was still there, pinned at the top.
But there was nothing new.
Nothing since that last message, "This is my location, come when you can."
Koen sighed, slowly putting the cell phone down. He held it in his hands for a few seconds, as if he could make it ring just by wishing for it.
In his mind, he could only think:
"Hope you're feeling well, Ethan.... I hope to see you soon."
He put the phone away again and looked up, glancing at the girls. He was silent, but his expression was different. More serious. As if the shadow of the past had returned, if only for an instant.
Reize turned to look at Koen. He noticed his expression, somewhat distant, almost sad. Then, with a light smile and trying to lift the group's spirits, he said:
—What do you say we start the day with something sweet?
Arika nodded without thinking, still with wet eyes. Koen, hearing her, looked up and his expression changed subtly, leaving the melancholy behind for a moment.
Reize stood up and walked to the small box he had left earlier.
—Searching in the storeroom I found some chocolate chip cookies— he said, lifting the box with a proud smile—. How about eating them with some milk?
—Yes —they both answered at the same time, as if for a second they had returned to a simpler time.
—Good —Reize replied, cheerfully—. I'll go get the milk. Koen, can you help Arika tidy up a bit and put the sheets away?
—Sure —said Koen with a slight smile, standing up.
—Then I won't be long —said Reize before walking briskly into the storeroom.
The door closed behind Reize, leaving a somewhat uncomfortable silence in the room.
Koen took one of the sheets and began to fold it without saying anything. Arika, for her part, bent down to pick up the other, trying not to look directly at him. Still, she could feel his presence, firm, like a wall that was hard to read.
—You know… —she said at last, breaking the silence as she arranged the cloth—. You don't have to act so serious all the time. It doesn't suit you as well as you think.
Koen raised an eyebrow, not taking his eyes off what he was doing.
— Again with that? I thought we'd already had this conversation.
Arika smiled thinly.
—Yes, but you seem to forget quickly.
He let out a slight exhalation, almost a sigh.
—I don't forget. It's just... it's who I am.
Arika looked at him sideways. There was something in her voice, a tinge that was not arrogant but... vulnerable.
—Well, I guess I'm used to you now —she said, shrugging —. You get on my nerves sometimes, though.
Koen turned his head slightly toward her with a lopsided smile.
—You're not exactly easy to get along with, either.
—I know —she replied in a slightly mocking tone—. But at least I don't grunt every two seconds.
—You have a point there —admitió él, sacudiendo la cabeza con una media sonrisa.
he admitted, shaking his head with a half-smile.
The mood softened a bit, but there was still that odd feeling, as if they were walking a fine line between friction and complicity.
As they put away the sheets, Koen suddenly spoke, without looking at her:
—About before... when you were dreaming.
Arika looked at him carefully.
—What about it?
—You don't have to tell me what you dreamed. But… don't let it get to you so much—he said, not harshly this time, but with an almost protective tone—. Not everything you're afraid of is going to come true.
Arika looked down, clenching the cloth in her hands.
—Sometimes it feels so real that it scares me.
Koen nodded slowly.
—I know. But as long as you still have someone who won't let go, it doesn't matter how real the fear seems.
Arika blinked, surprised by his words. She looked at him and, for an instant, thought she saw a shadow of her own pain in him. But before Arika could say anything else, Reize's footsteps were heard returning. They both subtly parted, as if nothing had happened, and continued to put away the last of the sheets.
The door opened, and the warmth in Reize's voice filled the place.
—That's it! The milk is warm, and the cookies smell amazing.
Koen and Arika turned to her. Reize carried a small tray, and carefully placed it on the table. On top was a pitcher of milk, three mismatched ceramic cups, and three small plates of chocolate chip cookies.
—Taran! —she said proudly—. Rescued from the storeroom. They look good, don't they?
Arika walked over and, looking at them, couldn't help but smile more sincerely than she had all morning.
—They look perfect.
—And just what we needed to start the day off right —Koen added in a more cheerful tone.
Reize poured the milk into the cups while they finished putting the sheets in place. Then he invited them to sit down.
—Well, let's eat, before it gets cold.
Koen took his seat first, looking his usual serious self, though his eyes looked more relaxed. Arika sat across from him, and Reize took the remaining seat.
—Bon appetit — said Reize, handing out the cookies.
—Thank you —Koen replied, taking one and taking a bite. His lips curved into a faint smile—. This combination makes them even more delicious.
Arika tried one and nodded silently, enjoying the sweet taste that contrasted with the bitterness still left by her nightmare.
—It had been a long time since she had tasted something so simple and so good.
—It's the little things that save the hard days —Reize commented, helping himself to another cookie.
Koen raised an eyebrow.
—Always so philosophical in the morning?
Reize laughed softly.
—I'm just speaking my mind. Although… I think you have to admit that not everything in this world is gray.
—Not everything —he conceded, glancing sideways at Arika, who held her cup in her hands—. There are exceptions.
Arika noticed the look and averted her eyes, hiding a small smile as she sipped some milk.
—Well, let's toast then —said Reize, raising his mug.
Arika mimicked the gesture.
—What shall we drink to?
—To still being here — Reize replied, without hesitation.
Koen raised his with a slight nod.
— To that.
The three of them gently clinked cups. The shelter no longer seemed so gray and cold. It was as if, in the midst of the chaos, that small moment of calm reminded them that they could still laugh, eat together... and move on.
Reize watched them with a calm and satisfied expression.
—See, as long as we have moments like this, there's always something worth fighting for
Koen held Reize's gaze for a second before smiling subtly.
—You're right.
Arika looked down, clutching her mug tightly, but with a new sparkle in her eyes.
—Yes… we still have something—she whispered.
And in that instant, the three of them shared a different silence than before: a warm one, charged with a fragile but real hope.