Ethan
I knock on the door three times... Not gently, maybe a little aggressively and firmly. That's exactly how I feel right now.
My pulse is not racing... But he is not calm either. It's that middle point where everything in you is on alert, as if something is about to break, even if it doesn't yet.
I wait a second, two... I am attentive and I do not hear anything.
I tilt my face to the door, hear a small movement and take a deep breath.
And in that minimal space... Her name is already in my mouth. Clara... Ready to say it as soon as the door opens. Ready to see her. To confirm that she is okay. To look her in the eye and understand what the hell is going on.
But the door opens... And it's not her, it's him. Alexander.
For a second... nothing happens, literally nothing. Time stops
