Wyatt woke up slowly with a heavy, trembling tired body, a cold sweat clinging to his skin even in the AC freezing chill. Alex's threatening voice was gone, Astrid's sweet texts were gone, memories were gone, but the question wasn't. He tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy. "What was that? Tell me!" he mumbled, a low, desperate plea as he tumbled out of bed, without balance, crashing to the floor with a sharp thud. But Wyatt didn't bother; he slowly pushed himself up, his hands shaking as he gripped the bed and wall. He stumbled, dragging his feet towards the Calloway, and fell near the sofa.
"What have you done to me?" Wyatt roared, his voice echoed throughout the entire room, raw pain in his scream. He pressed his forehead harder to relieve the headache pain. "Why does my head hurt?" he asked, his tone lowering and weakening. "Please... answer me."
"I know Aldric... " Calloway replied, his voice calm, betraying no emotion to show his inner pain as he pressed another untouched memory file on the server. "It hurts a lot, but this is the only way to save the entire world and Astrid...."
"Stop...." A low murmured scream escaped on Wyatt's lips as he pressed his head, not handling the searing pain, but Calloway's eyes didn't blink, and he kept his gaze fixed on the screen. He became as still as stone, showing no sign of mercy.
The screen displayed, "Do you want to play?"
"Yes or No," the options showed.
Calloway's gaze shifted to poor Wyatt, who was innocently lying on the floor, drained of strength. Without a second thought, he pressed the enter button on the system. "Have a great journey," he said as he let out a relaxed exhale and leaned against the sofa, comfortably watching the ceiling and plotting the next move.
Wyatt's eyes closed slowly, his gaze still fixed on Calloway's detached face. Who's Astrid? Is she real? The questions swirled in his mind as his eyes shut completely, and again went to darkness.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room, Ewan sat and leaned against his bed, staring at a photo of himself and Astrid from their first project. He tightly held his wrist, tapping his skin to feel the correct veins. After popping a right one, he inserted a needle into it and slowly injected the drugs. Within a few seconds, his vision blurred, a rush of dopamine hit his mind and made him feel like flying in between the clouds, and he felt his head spin like a roller coaster of sweet memories. His half-closed gaze remains the image of Astrid, with a cute smile. Automatically, he smiled back and touched his lips gently. "I miss you.... my love," he whispered, the last word slipping out before the drug took over his thoughts. He then slowly lay down on the cold, empty floor as the drug's effects began to take hold fully.
"Ewan.... Ewan...." A professor's voice echoed in the silent lecture hall, pulling him from his thoughts.
Ewan's gray eyes landed on Astrid, who stood innocently near the front, a nervousness dancing in her face. Shit! This is an unexpected one... but I am longing for this moment. He exclaimed in joy and danced in his mind, but he stayed calm and focused with a normal expression. Then he stood casually and walked towards the professor. "Yes, Marina," he called his professor in a soft tone.
"Astrid is your project partner. You got some luck today.... she's good at everything. Work together on this," Marina announced, her gaze sweeping between them. Then she nodded to them to take their place.
After a moment, Outside, the sun began dipping inside the huge clouds, a massive gray cloud surrounding the entire city. The campus became silent and dim, and lightning split the sky like a leaf vein. A heavy roar echoed at a distance. After a heavy wind, slowly, small raindrops fell from the sky. "Shit! I missed my umbrella...." A soft disappointment murmured escaped on Astrid's mouth, pulling her bag over her head as she hurried towards the university entrance.
Suddenly, a tall shadow appeared above her, completely covering her. She froze and slowly turned around and saw a towering figure standing behind her. Her face lifted to the person's face, and she called out, "Ewan!", a clear, surprised whisper in her tone. A soft breath escaped from her full lips, a her heartbeat slowed down when she met his gaze.
Ewan noticed the half-wet cloths, damp strands hugging her forehead. Without a second thought, he immediately shrugged off his black overcoat and wrapped it around her tiny shoulder, and it perfectly covered her whole body. "Sorry... you seem already wet. I thought you were gonna catch a cold..... I take it you missed your umbrella?" he asked, a hint of hesitation in his words. His heart raced against his ribs, thinking of how Astrid would take it. Shit! How is she gonna react? Will she slap me? he worried, bracing himself.
Astrid's wet hair clung to her forehead, and her eyes widened in shock at Ewan's sudden concern, but she didn't express it. "No! I am fine... " she said, letting out a relaxed breath as a small, forced smile appeared on her lips. Her green eyes fixed on his, " Honestly.... I was just startled. I didn't expect someone at this time.... Anyway, thanks for your help."
"No worries..." Ewan responded casually.
Astrid furrowed her brows, doubtful about Ewan's presence. "Why are you still here? Are you waiting for someone?" she asked and looking behind.
Ewan wondered silently, Yes, because of you, I'm scared to leave you alone on this rainy evening. But I can't tell the truth, he thought. No! I lost my phone in the lecture hall, so I was late," he explained, watching an empty path. "But why are you still wandering here?"
"I just went to the library, read my favorite book... I lost my mind and forgot reality," she replied, adjusting her overcoat against the freezing cold, hugging it to warm herself
Ewan, understanding that Astrid's body was trembling in the cold, immediately glanced nearby car and bike shed; everything seemed empty except Ewan's luxurious car. "How will you get home? " He asked.
"Umm! By bus. My driver usually picks me up, but I wanted to try going by myself today... Then the rain changed everything." Astrid answered, a slight tremor of hesitation in her voice.
Thank you to the rain. Ewan is internally dying with happiness. He glanced at his watch, which shows 6: 00 pm. "If you don't mind, can I drop you? It's already getting late and raining!!!" he asked with a warm and trustworthy tone.
Astrid shook her head in a rejecting manner. "It's okay, Ewan.... I take public transport, I don't want to bother you," She responded, but there was a palpable fear in her eyes that reflected her words. Her trembling finger was clenched, revealing her inner turmoil.
Why? You can trust me. I'm not going to eat you," Ewan teased gently, a casual smile playing on his lips, trying to put her at ease.
"Okay.... Let go...."Astrid accepted, and a genuine smile appeared across her face.
They both slid into the car, the soft thud of the doors closing sealing them inside. Ewan is focusing on the road and driving, while Astrid is silently noticing the droplet window view. Both mouths were sealed. How gonna break the silence? Ah, the project! An idea sparked in his mind. "You seem like a nerd," Ewan started the conversation, glancing the Astrid.
Astrid chuckled lightly, "No .... I am not...." She replied. Her gaze drifted to his veiny hands on the steering wheel and the movements of his hands. "You're my Electronics project partner, aren't you? You'll see how stupid I can be...."
"I thought you were cute, but you're hilarious too...."Ewan causally said in, a hint of flirtation in his voice, his eyes briefly meeting hers to notice how she was reacting.
Astrid couldn't stop blushing, and her hand instinctively moved to her neck, trying to hide her true smile. She was too shy to speak, gripping her skirt tightly as a way to manage her nervousness. Finally composing herself, she said, "Umm.... You're really good at speaking...." Now I understand why all the girls have a crush on you!"
"Yeah.... You might be correct, but they only like my looks, not my heart....."Ewan replied, a hint of disappointment in his tone. But my eyes are on you, he thought, and a secret smile tugged when thinking about her.
So you believe in swan love?" Astrid asked, her eyebrow raised in disbelief, her gaze fixed on him.
"Yes, it's a beautiful thing, isn't it? To have one life partner, to show all your love to that person... that's truly great," Ewan replied, his voice soft with conviction.
Astrid remained silent for a moment, wondering at his deep thought and loyalty in his words. Then she simply nodded. "It's... cool."
Now the rain became stronger compared to campus. "That's my house," Astrid broke the silence and pointed out the huge house. Ewan gave a single nod as he rotated the steering wheel smoothly and stopped the car in front of Astrid's house. He reached across the console, unlocking the passenger door without once touching her.