[ It's been years, for Carolina. But for Maine, it's a dance they may as well have performed yesterday.
(May well have been yesterday, for him. The memory of her kicking him out that window — "oh, don't be a baby," — is still fresh in his mind. As is the memory of her screaming as bullet after bullet penetrated his neck. Who knows how time works here?)
He recognizes her voice, of course. Would know it anywhere, even when gunfire threatens to drown it out. And when he raises his eyes from his food, there's recognition; surprise; warmth.
And then he really sees her, and confusion sets in. She looks older than she should. Older than he remembers.
So it takes him a moment to realize that he's staring at her with his cheeks filled with potatoes, puffed out like some monstrously large chipmunk. Belatedly, he swallows — not without some discomfort that he tries to ignore — and nods. Yeah, it's way better than an MRE. ]
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(May well have been yesterday, for him. The memory of her kicking him out that window — "oh, don't be a baby," — is still fresh in his mind. As is the memory of her screaming as bullet after bullet penetrated his neck. Who knows how time works here?)
He recognizes her voice, of course. Would know it anywhere, even when gunfire threatens to drown it out. And when he raises his eyes from his food, there's recognition; surprise; warmth.
And then he really sees her, and confusion sets in. She looks older than she should. Older than he remembers.
So it takes him a moment to realize that he's staring at her with his cheeks filled with potatoes, puffed out like some monstrously large chipmunk. Belatedly, he swallows — not without some discomfort that he tries to ignore — and nods. Yeah, it's way better than an MRE. ]