Chapter 3.04: December 21, 2017
Riiiiiiiiiing. Riiiiii—
"Hey, Leo, it's Markus."
"Yes, I know. I am the one who called you. I apologize that my last meeting ran late. I am on my way down to the lobby now."
"Don't worry about it."
"Did I make you wait long?"
"Nah, I actually got here a little early, but I don't mind."
"…"
"I see you."
Click.
"So, I was thinking we could go to that café a couple blocks down and talk there, yeah?"
"Of course. Allow me a moment to call my chauffeur—"
"That won't be necessary. Come on, Leo, we're strong grown men. Our legs still work perfectly fine; we can walk a couple of blocks."
"…Walking is fine, then."
"That's the spirit!"
"…"
"…"
"Markus, was there anything specific you needed to talk about?"
"Yeah, I—uh, did you and Erunai want to come to my family's Christmas party?"
"Desculpe, but I will be working for all of Christmas Eve and most of Christmas, and then I will be spending the rest of the holiday hosting my family's annual Christmas charity event."
"Do you mind asking Erunai for me, then?"
"That is something I will not do. I am sure, however, that Erunai will be glad to celebrate Christmas with you if you ask her personally."
"Yeah…yeah, you're right. Sorry."
"Is there anything else you needed to tell me, or was that all?"
"It's just—I'm just worried about Erunai, really. I know you took her home after the memorial service, and—"
"Markus, I have already told you that if you want to or need to, you can always just visit Erunai."
"I know, but… Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a bit of a…an awkward space between Erunai and me."
"I fail to see how that should affect your ability to check up on her."
"Well, okay, so she's hurting because her brother is dead, right? And that awkward space between us may or may not have been caused by a careless comment on my end about…about Ken."
"Have you apologized?"
"Yeah, and she told me yesterday that she forgave me, but I just can't seem to feel the same connection that we had before. It's like it's a totally different relationship—"
"It is."
"What?"
"Markus, it is a completely different relationship. Do you really expect to be able to return to the time before you caused her pain?"
"Well, no, I suppose not, but—"
"No, there is no 'but.' While you may—and probably will—be able to mend the bridge you burned, you will never have the same exact bridge."
"But I need it to be the exact same bridge!"
"…A difference in dynamics does not mean you will never be close again. Perhaps the waters in which you were building the bridge were too dangerous, too swift, too violent, and the bridge falling and burning is a blessing sent from heaven because now you can move to a different place along the river, where it is calmer, gentler, and much stabler."
"…How am I supposed to manage that?"
"That is something you will need to discover on your own, Markus. Have you decided on a drink already, or shall I go first?"
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