Right, yeah." Manish shoves his hands into his jeans pockets. "I wasn't sure we were coming back."
There's no question in your mind. The two of you would have died if Darcy hadn't closed the book when she did. You would have never seen Manish again. You find yourself wondering if there's something other than friendship between you.
You let the moment pass. The two of you walk in silence back to the dorms. Before you part ways, you say, "I'm really glad we didn't die."
Manish offers a ghost of a smile. "Me, too."
Next
Present Day
The present world snaps back around you. You sag on the bench. You still have occasional nights where you wake up in sweat-damp sheets with echoes of an alien presence filling your mind.
You stand and take shaky steps toward Carter Hall. You wonder when the next memory will come.
You make it most of the way down the quad before it overtakes you. You give in immediately, sitting on a bench and letting the memory have you.
Senior Year, Here I Come