Page 26 of Shattered Echoes

I nod slowly. “You didn’t have to.”

“But I did,” she says. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” I say after a brief hesitation. “Sure, you can.”

The air is heavy between us when I shut the door behind her. We both stay quiet, the tension palpable. There's a flicker of something in her eyes, maybe sympathy, maybe something more–that makes me look away.

She steps close. “Antonio. I’m so sorry for pushing the matter about what happened to you, and the conditions that brought you back here to Shadow’s Bend. It was not my place to ask, and I see that now.”

I can feel my anger bleeding away just listening to her. “You don’t have to…”

“I do. I can’t imagine what the last few years have been like for you. How difficult this must be. So, I came here, bearing cake as a peace offering, asking for your forgiveness.”

I smile, a genuine one that soothes my soul. “Apology accepted, and thanks for the cake.” I accept the cake from her and take it to the kitchen. I return to the living room with two slices of cake and hand one to her. She accepts it and nods over her shoulder.

"I saw the box," she says softly, breaking the silence. "The one with the games."

I glance towards the TV, where the dusty box sits on the floor beside it. "Yeah," I mumble, feeling a wave of self-consciousness. "Desperate times, desperate measures."

She walks over to the box and picks it up, a faint smile playing on her lips. "We used to fight over who got to be Mario all the time."

A genuine laugh escapes my lips, the first in what feels like weeks. "Yeah, you were terrible."

"Hey!" she feigns offense, a playful glint in her eyes. "At least I didn't keep getting lost in the warp pipes like a certain someone."

The easy banter feels strange…familiar, yet uncomfortable. It reminds me of a time before the pills, before the darkness, before I pushed everyone away.

"Look," I say, my voice softening. "I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did. You really were just looking out for me."

Colette sets the box down and turns back to me. "I understand," she breathes. "It's been a tough time for you."

The way she says it, without judgment, makes my throat tighten. I don't deserve her kindness, not after everything I've done.

"It's not your problem," I mutter, pushing the words out with difficulty.

"Maybe not," she replies, taking a step closer. "But that doesn't mean I can't offer my support, right?"

Her eyes meet mine, and the air crackles with an unspoken energy. "Actually," I say, surprising even myself. "I was wondering…"

Colette raises an eyebrow, a question lurking in her eyes. "Wondering what?"

"Do you still want to fight over Mario?" I ask, a hint of a smile playing on my lips.

She hesitates for a moment, then a grin erupts on her face. "Bring it on, loser."

The tension dissipates, replaced by a spark of something new. She takes her place on the couch, excited like a teenage girl, and I set up the console, hoping the game still works after being so long abandoned in the attic, gathering dust and cobwebs.

The familiar blue glow of the old console flickers to life, casting dancing shadows on the living room wall. We both stare at the pixelated Mario bouncing across the screen. Colette claps excitedly, and the action makes me smile.

"Remember the time you swore the clouds moved faster on player two?" I ask, grabbing the second controller.

Colette chuckles, her smile warm. "Of course I do. You were always such a sore loser."

"Says the one who used to hide behind the princess to avoid getting hit."

We argue as we select characters; the years melting away as we fall back into the peaceful rhythm of competition. The tension that had hung between us earlier has evaporated, replaced by a comfortable camaraderie.

The first few rounds are a blur of laughter and playful taunts. However, as the difficulty ramps up, the playful banter quiets down. We are both competitive, and a determined glint has replaced the amusement in Colette's eyes.my character teeters on the edge of a bottomless pit, a single misstep away from oblivion.

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