Since You’re Staying

Dante

I pull the car up in front of the abstract red sculpture that marks the front of the Tandon Institute, and Eleni turns to me with a glare.

“What the hell are we doing here?”

I park. “You know, I think the sculpture looks like a bunch of checkers falling over. What about you?”

“Dante.” She crosses her arms. “Answer me.”

I smile. I knew she was going to react like this. In truth, I don’t really care. She’s staying. She’s finding a way to get used to the fact that I killed Christos. It’s not over between us, and I don’t have to spend the rest of my life wishing I never told her. Even the ache in my chest can’t bring me down today. I climb out of the car without answering, circle around the hood, and try to open her door.

It’s locked. She locked it. She stares through the window at me, arms still crossed.

“Answers, or I’m not getting out,” she calls through the bulletproof glass.

I exhale heavily. How has she gotten more stubborn? I was only gone for two weeks.

“Is ‘you’re going to