Page 95 of Red River

Igor’s eyes locked onto the screen, his expression shifting as he took it in. Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze to Archer.

Until now, he hadn’t known who had saved him—he’d been unconscious the whole time. But seeing it now, watching the footage… something changed in him. His lips trembled, and then, to my shock, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"It was you, you saved me," he whispered, his voice shaky. "The one person I treated the worst…"

Archer gave a small, casual shrug. "Yeah, well… it kinda turned out that way. Though I wouldn’t have managed it without Van’s climbing rope," he added with a smirk, patting Igor lightly on the shoulder.

Van rolled his eyes. "Oh no, don’t drag me into this. I had nothing to do with it! This was all you, man. You’re the hero!"

Aiden and Lake stood nearby, watching everything unfold. They still looked shaken—like they weren’t ready to believe it was really over, almost scared to feel relieved.

Then Van leaned down toward Igor and smirked. "You’re gonna love this—it’s all on video. Not just your rescue! Your fall too, you waking up… all of it."

"Van!" I snapped. The moment of relief was over, and anger took its place. "You cannot be serious. What the hell were you thinking?! Was this whole thing just about filming some stupid video?"

Igor threw his hands up, as if trying to physically stop me. "Absolutely not! The video was supposed to just be me walking on the railing! Other guys post that kind of stuff all the time—I wasn’t planning on falling off a damn waterfall!" He rolled his eyes and bit his lip. Then, after a pause, he added, "But I need to upload it before the random bystanders do…"

I let out an exasperated huff. "Igor, do you even understand what happened? Do you get how insanely lucky you are to be alive? In any other scenario, if Archer and that rope hadn’t been there… you wouldn’t have made it. Do you understand that you came inches from death today?"

Igor looked at me—really looked at me—with an expression I hadn’t seen before.

"I know, Dad," he replied quietly. "And honestly… I don’t even know how to repay Archer for this."

I scoffed. "How about starting with actually listening to him? By realizing that he’s looking out for you and wants what’sbest for you?" There was a sharp edge to my voice—I couldn’t help it.

Igor nodded, then turned to Archer. "I’m sorry," he said. "For everything. I apologize, Archer. For being an ass. For treating you like crap. You didn’t deserve that. You’re a good guy, and… I’m really glad we ended up at your place."

He hesitated, lifted his hands like he wanted to hug Archer, but Archer just clapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"It’s all good," Archer assured him. "We’ll see how things go once we’re back to normal life—if this whole ‘listening’ thing actually sticks." He gave Igor a lopsided grin. "But one thing’s for sure—no more risky stunts. No more walking on railings, no more climbing wild cliffs, no more dangerous bullshit. Got it? Life is worth more than views and internet clout."

"I promise," Igor said quickly, nodding. But I had a weird feeling—like his mind was already racing, calculating how many hits his video would get once he posted it…

***

Igor had to stay at the hospital for observation overnight.

Van, Aiden, and Lake seemed to handle the whole thing surprisingly well after their initial emotions settled down. Now that everything had turned out okay, they almost treated it like some wild adventure rather than a near-tragedy.

I wish I could say the same for myself.

That night, I found myself in Archer’s room. I hesitated for only a second before asking, "Can I lie with you?"

He made an inviting gesture. "Of course."

It was the first night we spent like that—together in the same bed. Nothing happened, not after a day like this. I was toodrained, too shaken. But lying there, pressed against his strong shoulder, felt… right.

At some point, I whispered, "This might make me a terrible parent, but when I saw you disappear over that railing, I was scared for you too, Archer." My voice cracked. "Igor seemed lost forever, and I was so damn scared I’d never see you again too… Two tragedies."

Archer just pulled me closer.

"I couldn’t let him die, River," he murmured. "I made a promise to take care of your family. And I meant it. Like they were my own. If I hadn’t jumped after him… I would’ve failed you."

A strong wave of emotion surged in my chest, but I forced it down. Instead, I held him tighter, burying my face against his chest.

"I think I’m falling for you, Archer," I whispered—so quietly, I wasn’t even sure he heard me. "I couldn’t have found a better man if I tried."

He tilted my face up, so our eyes met in the dim light.

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