[The apartment hadnāt seen this much life. The small group of friends, sharing a movie. Each equally surprised to be there. Each appreciative in their own way. The apartment hadnāt responded how anyone had expected it to. An unfamiliar chill crept in through seemingly every surface. Mort shuddered, tossing a blanket to Kam and Nadine, and subsequently Vernon.]
I thought my days of getting cold were over.
[Vernon wraps it around his upper body, with a yawn.]
Weāre always cold. I think, anyway.
Couldāya pass me the remote? ā¦I gotta find the right channel.
[He nods, passing the remote to Vernon. Even the buttons on the remote seemed to be freezing. The battery inside was hanging on by a thread, crackling quietly.]
Here you are, my good man.
ā¦.It seems the autumn temperatures are already closing in. Feels a little early, yes?
[There comes a firm knock on the door, and a soft humming is heard from the other side.]
Ah! Iāll answer it.
[Kam gets up from their seating beside Nadine, walking over to the door. They undo the lockāas their hands grasp the handle.]
[The handle is ice cold and sticks to their hand when they try to pull it away. The door is thrown open roughly, and Leo stands in the doorway. The hall behind him has been covered with a thin layer of ice.]
Am I interrupting?
Kamā!
[Kam gets squished behind the door, as Nadineās off the chair in a flash, hands at the ready.]
Come onācanāt you leave us alone?
[He looks at her, finally, and something in his eyes changes. The girl he once called his friend, reduced to this. Pathetic. Groveling. Happy. How could she. He takes a step forward, his eyes locked on her.]
When Iām done here? There wonāt be anything to leave alone.
[A flame begins to flicker in Nadineās hand, growing in size.]
You donāt have to keep doing this, Leo. It will never satisfy you.
[He scoffs, the floor under their feet crunching as a thin layer of frost began to form.]
And how would you know whatās good for me? You never have before. Otherwise you wouldnāt have left me there with the dogs.
You didnāt even give me the courtesy to say goodbye. I returned from New York, and you were gone.
I sent you letters, you bitch!
[He throws his hand up, and a blast of ice goes barreling towards her.]
Damn itā!
[Nadine attempts to brace herself and deflect the ice with flamesābut ends up barreling backward into the floor.]
[He breaks off a chunk of a large ice crystal that had formed, raising it over his head as he stepped over. His eyes were fixated on her, and tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. They froze almost immediately, dotting his cheeks in red.]
Why wasnāt I good enough??
Why wasnāt I worth your time? Because you had a change of heart? Or because you found something better?
Why couldnāt you just take me for me?
I hate you! I- I hate you, so fucking much!
[Nadine clutches on of her legsāpetrified in ice as she attempts to thaw it. She inches away from Leo on the floor, writhing.]
I never hated youāI hate CloseKnit. I hate that I bought into what they preached. It was never about you.
[He scoffed out a laugh, stifling a choked sob.]
Then why didnāt you talk to me sooner? Why was I such an afterthought?
I let them mold he how they wanted. At least they told me they didnāt care.
Why do you think, Leo? Look at us. Look at yourself.
ā¦I didnāt think youād ever come back. SoāI thought that keeping you in the dark about it was the best option.
And seeing where we are nowāmaybe that was.
There was never going to be an agreement between us after I left CloseKnit. Stayed with Kam. This is proof of that.
[He heaves out a few breaths, dropping the chunk of ice at his side as he chokes out a sob. He glances around the room, destroyed, and full of people who wanted him dead.]
I donāt wanna do this anymore. I just want things to go back to the way they were.
Donātā
hurtā
[Kamās able to claw their way out of the iceāstaggering over to Nadine before collapsing on the floor beside her.]
ghāā¦
