Chapter 2

A long time passed, and the soup went cold before I finally spoke. My voice was hoarse. "Julian, you know what? I really thought we had him this time.

"I did compressions for thirty minutes. I literally broke his ribs. But he still died."

Julian finally spoke. His voice was gentle and calm, yet incredibly cold. "Chloe, do not do this to yourself.

"A person's lifespan is set in stone on the Ledger. When Management calls your number, nobody can put them on hold."

I snapped my head up. "So what? What are you trying to say? That those thirty minutes were a complete waste of time?"

He opened his mouth to explain, but settled for something else. "That is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

He looked down at the cold soup. His voice was barely a whisper. "I mean you should not blame yourself.

"The exact moment he was meant to go was predetermined. The fact that you could not save him is not your fault."

I understood his point. Everything was destined, and no one could change it.

But I refused to accept that.

"What if I insist on changing it?" I shot back.

He looked at me deeply. "It is like trying to stop a freight train with your bare hands."

"Can you not change it either?"

"No. As Reapers, our biggest taboo is getting emotionally involved. Best case scenario, we get demoted. Worst case, we get completely erased from existence."

I felt defeated. "What does this Ledger even look like? Is it really accurate down to the exact second?"

He thought for a moment before answering. "It records the exact moment of birth and death. Unless it is an unnatural accident, it truly does not deviate by a single second.

"Chloe, I am not apologizing for doing my job. I am apologizing because I had to stand there and watch you break your back for thirty minutes, knowing I could not tell you a damn thing."

I met his gaze. "Julian, I do not care what your Ledger says. As long as someone is breathing in front of me, I will try to save them.

"Even if you are standing right there waiting, it does not change a thing."

Julian looked at me with a complicated expression. "Chloe, you really have not changed at all."

He turned serious. "That stubbornness is going to get you into trouble one day."

I scoffed. "What kind of trouble?"

"The kind where you trade your own life trying to save someone else."

I froze for a second, then let out a dry laugh. "Would that not be perfect for you? It would save you an extra trip."

He didn't laugh.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "So, why did we actually break up back then?"

I sighed. "Because you told me your career goal was harvesting souls, and I thought you had completely lost your mind."

Julian sighed too. "Well, now you know I was not lying. So, can we get back together?" He looked up at me cautiously.

Seriously, bro?

I pointed at his cloak, then at his scythe. "We are literally from different worlds. How is that supposed to work?"

Julian fell silent. He waved his hand, and the black cloak morphed into a sleek, tailored black suit. "I can wear normal clothes too, you know."

My eyes shifted to the scythe.

He quietly shrank it down to a miniature version, as delicate as a keychain, and slipped it into his inner suit pocket.

He held up his empty hands. "See? All gone."

I stared at him for three solid seconds. "Make sure you do not lose it. I do not want to be dodging that thing next time I am doing CPR."

*****

I thought dinner was just a simple catch up session. But later that night, my doorbell rang.

I opened it to find Julian standing there. "Hello, neighbor. I am here to borrow an egg."

I was stunned. "You are the Grim Reaper. Why do you need eggs?"

He pondered this seriously. "Biologically, I do not. But I have been observing humans for a long time, and I found that borrowing an egg is the most effective way to build rapport with your neighbors."

I was speechless for another three seconds. "How long have you been observing?"

"Three years."

Three years? Was that not exactly how long we had been broken up?

My brain stalled. I numbly grabbed an egg from the fridge, handed it to him, and watched him turn and walk right into the apartment across the hall. The one that had been vacant for three months.

When did he even rent that place?

*****

Ever since Julian moved in across the hall, he started showing up at my door every morning in his perfectly pressed black suit, carrying a wide variety of breakfast foods to wake me up.

Honestly, it was getting on my nerves. "Does the Underworld not have any actual work for you to do?"

Julian offered a polite smile. "Chloe, shouldn't you be happy to see I have so much free time?"

Fair point.