Frustrated at the boy's disappearing act, Alena busied herself with other menial tasks. But the apartment felt empty after spending the entire two days alone with him, and she couldn't help but worry. 

Was he cold without a jacket? Was he wandering around again without shoes in this snow? When her mind suddenly turned to whether he was still alive or not, she hastily bundled herself up and left the apartment with the excuse of getting dinner. 

Carrying her takeaways, Alena avoided the bridge in favour of the park. She sprawled on the bench there, staring absently at the bleeding sky as the sun set. 

High school had been tough. Alena never had much interest in it, and even the possibility of developing some was impossible with Ian around. He was a real knucklehead. A good-for-nothing idiot. 

But was she any better? Lying here like some homeless person after scanning every alleyway and street for some frozen kid. Presuming to tell him what to do with his life when she hadn't even figured out her own. When she felt so stuck in time and alone. 

After stewing there for quite some time, Alena stiffly rose and headed home. She trudged up the flight of stairs, rounded the corner, and froze. 

This morning, the boy had vanished, only to return now with a single bag, the clothes on his back, and no key to let himself in. 

At her approach, his head lifted from his knees, and the sight of his battered face had her chest tightening. Guilt cut into her as she took in his black eye, cut lip, and the necklace of bruises ringing his neck. 

"I brought us food." Keeping her voice as steady as she could, Alena held up her packet. "And you brought your luggage, huh?"

They went inside, and while she headed for the fridge, trying to keep her hands and mind busy, he hovered just behind her. 

"I-I…" His soft voice rang across the room, almost making her tear up. "I want to stay here."

She glanced over her shoulder to see him clenching the strap of his bag. His shirt fell loosely around his wiry frame, revealing his sharp collarbones and the grazes there. Wherever he'd gone to get his bag, or whomever he'd met to get permission to leave, had done a number on him. 

"If you've changed your mind then I won't impose. But if it's alright, I'd -I'd like to visit, just once a week?" When she didn't immediately say anything, he tried, "Once a month?"

He kept his gaze averted as she approached him, but she only pushed an ice-pack against his swollen eye, startling him. Under that shaggy hair and all these bruises, his face was still youthfully beautiful. But that was just it: he was so young. What monster had raised their hand at him like this?

"As far as I'm concerned," she said, "you're the new tenant."

She laid out their dinner and some plastic cutlery. Not having any proper knives and forks stopped bothering her a long time ago, but since they'd temporarily be living together, she should properly restock the kitchen. 

"Won't you stay for a little longer?" he asked hopefully, picking up a pillow to hug. "There's no rush to move to Rive, right?"

His fingertips ran along his split lips, and Alena couldn't help but think about what might happen if he was left alone. Not just him returning to the bridge, but about his abuser tracking him down here. If she left so quickly, she'd feel guilty if anything happened to him.

She was by no means willing to adopt full responsibility, but providing him with a sense of security for a little while wouldn't harm anyone. Just until he got back on his feet. 

"I can wait a little longer," she allowed. "Maybe just until the end of the year."

In her periphery, she watched as he fell to his side, hugging the pillow against his chest, delighted. Seeing that eased the last of her doubts away. 

"What're you studying anyway?" she asked.

"Medicine."

She choked on her disbelief. "O-oh."

For the first time, he smiled. And it was shockingly beautiful. 

"And you're an athlete?" he wondered.

"I was. An endurance runner. Then I misjudged a step and, well, that was that." She rolled down her sock to show him her ruined ankle, failing to notice how red he became. "My family didn't have the money for a fancy operation, so it never healed quite right. I took up writing instead."

"And the karate guy?"

"Ian? By that time, we'd already moved in together. He continued –doing what he did."

"Leading a gang?" He fidgeted with the end of his scarf. "Do you like people in gangs?"

Her expression grew dismayed. How'd he even piece together what Ian did? Maybe he'd glimpsed a picture or something when they were packing up the apartment. 

"Don't be a fool," she said. "It's better to be a doctor than a gangster."

He brightened. "But you don't stay in contact with him anymore?"

"Not entirely. Some of his mates still come by every month or so, just to visit."

"But Ian's no longer your boyfriend," he pushed. 

"No, I guess? I mean, we ended it." Alena tilted her head, confused again. 

Did they break up? She certainly no longer considered Ian her boyfriend, but she couldn't say it was over. She'd never felt like he was out of her life, especially with the Makkens still visiting her. Everyone, including her, just assumed nothing had changed but distance and location. 

"Anyway," Alena shook herself out of it, finding the boy already watching her intently. "Gangs aren't of any importance to you. None at all. You can stay firmly on that side, understood?"

"With you?" 

"W-well, I'm kind of toeing the line, really."

"If Ian hasn't pulled, then I'll just have to," he declared. 

She laughed at how silly that sounded. "I don't particularly like being pulled by anyone, especially someone whose name I don't know."

"Lavi," he introduced, giving her an endearing smile. "From now on, I'll be in your care."