Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)

Chapter 39 by micdan282 micdan282

What's next?

In the Morning

The morning sunlight filtered through Devin’s bedroom window. Rikki lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her body still and silent beside his. She’d slipped out of his arms an hour ago, careful not to wake him. His breathing was steady now, soft and unbothered. He looked peaceful. Young. Too young. She pressed the heel of her hand to her eyes, willing away the ache starting behind them.

Finn.

His name hit like a punch to the chest. What had she done?

The guilt spread through her slowly, like thick tar seeping into her bones. She hadn't meant for it to happen. She’d just meant to tell Devin she was proud of him. At least that’s what she told herself. But then they kissed. One kiss turned into two, then a bed, then limbs tangled in the dark. And she hadn’t stopped it. She hadn’t even wanted to.

She sat up, clutching the blanket around her bare shoulders, and stared at the floor for a long time. What was she supposed to do now?

Finn was the man she wanted to be with. At least… she thought she did. He was steady, he was kind. He’d been there for her despite everything she put him through. But it had always felt like the Rikki Finn was with was only half of her, the easy half.

Of course, Devin hadn’t seen all of her either. Maybe he didn’t know everything about her. But he saw something deeper within her. Something that Finn always seemed to question and fight against.

Still, that didn’t make this okay. Rikki stood and padded quietly into the bathroom. She stared at her naked reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were ringed with shadows, her lip split from the fight at the docks, a bruise fading just under her jaw.

You’re a goddamn superhero, she told herself. You drag yourself into the fire night after night, and people still expect you to smile like nothing’s wrong.

She let out a bitter laugh, tears threatening behind her eyes but refusing to fall. Even a superhero couldn’t always make the right choice. She’d saved so many lives. She’d stopped so many weapons from getting on the streets. And maybe, just maybe, she'd needed something for herself. A break. A moment where she didn’t have to be strong. Didn’t have to be smart. It didn’t make what she’d done right and she knew that.

She stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would wash away some of the weight pressing down on her. But as the steam fogged the mirror and the silence stretched around her, Rikki knew better. But she'd carry it, like everything else and keep moving forward.

END OF CHAPTER ONE

What's next?

More fun
Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)