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Even as Jakov joked about being faster than Tomos, Lovro wondered if the other shoe was about to drop. Would a crack show up on Jakov’s face to reveal the disgust he was trying to hide? Would he slip away from Lovro when he wasn’t looking? Would their friendship end in this forgotten little corner of Zagreb and rot away for good?
His mind is a treacherous thing—always has been. It’s a snake taking residence inside his brain, taking over even his happiest moments. It’s a Hydra—every time he manages to kill one awful thought, another one bares its head.
And then there’s Jakov—who cuts off each new one with the ease of a practiced fighter. Almost like he can feel the threads of fear closing around Lovro’s neck, he runs towards him, abandoning his skateboard behind.
He grabs him by the arms to pull him up, talking a mile a minute about how this guy is trying to do a crazy flip and Lovro just has to see it.
Lovro’s mind is trying to poison him, even then.
He hates you. He’s pretending. He’s lying.
But Jakov throws his arm around his shoulders without a care in the world. He pulls him closer instead of pushing him away, and everything falls into place for the time being.
Because Jakov wouldn’t trick him. He wouldn’t lie to Lovro, not even for his own sake.
There is a camera pointed at him again now, but Lovro doesn’t feel the urge to turn it off or to run away. He feels a bit more settled, like he belongs there.
He is no longer an Other. He’s Lovro. He’s Jakov’s best friend. It feels like a miracle but turns out to just be his life.
For the first time in years, Lovro thinks that there are worse things to be than himself.
This time, when Jakov pulls him forward, moving towards the future, he doesn’t hold himself back.
He follows.