Page 11 of Drenched

I wanted to believe her, but the ache in my chest wouldn’t let me. “But what if I’m making the same mistake?”

Kim didn't answer right away. Instead, she guided me to the bed and sat down beside me, her hand still gripping mine. “Do you know what your parents would say if they saw you right now?”

I shook my head, my throat too tight to speak.

“They’d say they’re proud of you,” she smiled. “Because you're here, doing something important. Something brave. Just like them. They wanted to study the algae so it could cure sicknesses, diseases for which there was no cure. You’re here for the same reason. And yeah, maybe it’s terrifying as hell, but you're not alone. You have me. You have Jamie. Even Trevor, though he's mostly good for complaining. And you’ve got Jonathan, who seems to take a fancy to you.” She smiled faintly, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ugh...” I muttered, my voice laced with disgust.

She raised an eyebrow but kept going. “And honestly? You’re the toughest person I know.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected, a lump forming in my throat. It wasn’t just grief this time. It was gratitude. I squeezed her hand, a tear slipping down my cheek. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Bullshit,” she replied immediately, her tone teasing but warm. “You'd do the same for me. You have done the same for me, a million times.”

She stood and moved to the small cabinet near the bed. After rummaging for a moment, she pulled out a bottle of vodka and two mismatched glasses.

“I know this isn't exactly grief counseling,” she said, pouring generously, “but it's what I've got.”

I let out a watery laugh, taking the glass she offered. “It's perfect.”

We clinked our glasses together in a mock toast before downing the vodka in one go. It burned on the way down, but it steadied me somehow.

Kim poured another round, and we sat there, leaning against the headboard, the silence between us comfortable now. She started telling me about her first disastrous field assignment, how she'd fallen into a tide pool while trying to impress her professor. I laughed, the sound surprising me with how normal it felt.

“See?” she said, smiling. “You're already feeling better.”

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help smiling back. “You're a terrible therapist.”

“Yeah, but I'm a great friend,” she said, nudging my shoulder.

For a while, we just sat there, trading stories and sipping vodka until the bottle was nearly empty. Kim's presence, her easy humor and steady warmth, made the grief a little easier to bear.

The door opened suddenly, and Jamie stepped in, his gaze moving between us and the half-empty bottle on the floor. “What's going on here?” he asked, looking clearly amused.

“Girls' night,” Kim replied smoothly, raising her glass.

I stood quickly, brushing off my pants. “We were just... talking,” I said. The air felt tighter now, like Jamie's presence had shifted something unspoken in the room. “I need some air,” I added, grabbing my coat.

“Pearl-“ Kim started, but I waved her off.

“I'm fine. Really. I'll be back soon.”

It hurt to see Jamie there. I didn't have feelings for him anymore - but still. It was a hollow kind of ache, one I didn't want to examine too closely. Seeing him standing there, so casual, so unbothered, made the room feel too small, too stifling.

I needed to get out of there.

The door closed behind me, muffling the low murmur of their voices. I exhaled slowly, letting the ice cold air fill my lungs. It was bracing, sharp against my flushed cheeks. My steps carried me toward the beach without thinking, the path familiar even in the dark. My thoughts kept going back to the graves , my parents, buried in a place I barely knew, surrounded by strangers. Tanya's words echoed in my mind, her calm voice hiding something I couldn't put my finger on.

“Let us rest. Take your team and leave.”

I hugged myself, trying to shake off the heavy feeling. But the harder I tried, the more my mind drifted to Amanda. Tanya had said she was sick, unstable, but the way Amanda had grabbed my wrist, her voice low and desperate - it didn't seem like madness. It felt real.

I let out a sharp breath, the sound disappearing into the waves. Tanya was lying - I was sure of it. Her smooth explanationscouldn't cover the truth. And Amanda... Amanda was proof of that.

Tanya had lied. I was sure of it now. There was more to this place, to my parents' deaths, to Amanda, and Tanya was hiding it all behind a veil of half-truths and warnings.

I was so lost in thought I almost didn't notice him.

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