Chapter 15
Nina froze, staring into Julian's eyes. "Wait... you can see me?" Julian didn't answer. His gaze slipped right past her, focused on the rain pooling at his feet. Disappointment bloomed in her chest. Maybe he really was delirious from the fever. "You should call a cab and go home," she muttered, more to herself than him. But Julian didn't move. He stayed there on that bench, soaked to the bone, for the rest of the night.
It wasn't until dawn that he finally returned home. He placed Nina's urn beside her parent's on the shelf. Meanwhile, Nina had wandered through her home, searching every room for her parents. But there was no sign of them. No lingering souls. No one waiting to greet her. She drifted back downstairs , disheartened, and found Julian passed out on the living room couch. His face was flushed. She floated over and touched his cheek. Burning hot. Worried, she took his hand and, through sheer will, managed to type out a message to Officer David from his phone, asking for help. An Ambulance arrived quickly. But just as she was about to follow them out the door, a strange chill ran down her spine. She froze and in that moment, locked eyes with someone across the street. It was the man from the plane. He stood beneath a black umbrella, his tall figure cutting through the rain like a shadow. His gaze pierced the downpour, cold and steady, as if it could see through her. He felt dangerous. Calm. But the stillness masked something far more turbulent underneath. Nina's fingers curled at her sides. She marched across the street. "Are you following me?" The man arched a brow, his voice smooth and indifferent. "You think you're worth following?" Blunt. Cruel. She blinked, momentarily thrown, as he turned to leave. She blocked his path. "You can see me. You have to know what's happening to me." Why was she the only one left floating around? Where were her parents? Why could Julian see her sometimes - and now this man too? The man's eyes flicked over her with disdain. "A seven - day grace from the afterlife. What's so hard to figure out ? "Seven days? Nina stilled. She counted quickly. This was the sixth. So she only had one day left. No wonder her parents were already gone. She opened her mouth to ask more, but the man had already turned the corner, vanishing into the mist and rain like he was never there. Frustrated, Nina drifted aimlessly through the streets for hours before finally heading to the hospital. But the second she arrived, chaos erupted outside the ER. She hovered at the edge of the scene, eyes widening when she saw the man being wheeled in. Julian. She went cold. Snippets of conversation filtered through the panic.
Woke up from the fever completely delirious. Kept saying she disappeared, that it had to be a hallucination. Then he just - cut his wrist out of nowhere. " Jesus. He's so young. Why would he...?" Probably having a breakdown..." Nina's heart twisted. She shouldn't have felt the cold as a ghost, but right now, it felt like someone had plunged her into a block of ice. Julian was admitted to a general care unit.
The wound wasn't deep enough to require ICU. Nina stayed by his side all night, watching every breath, every shift of his hand. By morning, he stirred. His eyes opened - and locked on hers. "You really want to die that badly?" she snapped, unable to stop herself. Julian gave a faint smile. " Figures. You only ever show up when I'm dying." The first time they met - he'd nearly drowned. And now again, when he almost bled out. "I've been here this whole time," she bit out.
"I was with you yesterday too. I just stepped out for a while and you pull that crap again ? " Julian's lips parted. "You've... been here?" She went quiet. "Will you stay?" he asked, voice low. Her chest tightened. She turned slowly, glancing at the wall clock. 9:45 a.m. Fifteen minutes left. That was all she had. When the seven - day grace was over, she wouldn't just leave - she would cease to exist. Completely.
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