#kurosmind

“What happened to you?” Essek asks after a full minute.

Without quite turning towards him, Caleb smirks. “You should see the other guy.” Noticing Essek’s unimpressed look, he sighs. “The car. An issue with the breaks and a patch of ice, I think. Well, an issue with everything, now, since that wall took care of that.” Before Essek can voice his concern, Caleb waves a hand dismissively. “I know, I know, you will tell me ‘I told you so’ once this thing comes off.” He frowns at the sling on his right arm.

With a low chuckle, Essek bows his head a little. If Caleb’s being sarcastic, it means he’s not that roughed up. “I’ll hold you to this promise. Are you in pain?”

The back of Caleb’s head maks a soft thud against the wall when he leans against it, and he sighs. “Could be worse.” He turns towards Essek. Maybe the shadows under his eyes only look so dark because of the room’s bright lights. “I apologise if I’ve been… I wasn’t expecting to see you, that’s all.”

“I’m also not unhappy to see you again. Even though I wish the circumstances were different.”

There is another pause, a long one. Essek looks at Caleb’s faded jeans, his red and black flannel shirt — he remembers both, remembers how soft the worn fabric of the shirt feels under his hands. He looks everywhere but at Caleb’s face.