Evening crept in slowly, painting the sky in hues of melancholy purples and quiet blues. Anna found herself walking to the café where Jace worked. The golden light from inside glowed warmly against the glass windows. Her heart was thumping like she was about to face a storm. Maybe she was.
She walked in.
There he was—behind the counter, smiling at a customer, as if last night never happened. Her steps slowed. He looked so calm, so natural, so... untouched. Meanwhile, her emotions were still tangled in a storm.
He noticed her and waved, that usual Jace smile on his face. "Hey, Anna. Want your usual hot chocolate with extra KitKat?"
She approached him, swallowing the knot in her throat. "No. I mean—yes. But... I actually came to apologize."
He paused, his smile softening. "For what?"
She looked down. "For last night. For everything. I wasn't in my senses. I just... I needed comfort. And I know it wasn't fair to drag you into my mess."
He handed her the hot chocolate anyway, then leaned slightly forward over the counter.
"Anna," he said, his voice gentle, "I'm not mad. You don't owe me anything. I just... I want you to be okay."
She looked at him, puzzled by how kind he was being.
He gave a half-smile. "And I know there's someone in your dreams you're still holding onto. Whoever he is... he's got a pretty powerful grip on you."
That struck deeper than she expected.
"But," he continued, "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere. Even if I'm not the one in your dreams."
She didn't know what to say. She just held the warm cup close and nodded, feeling a strange mix of comfort and confusion.
She turned to leave his shop, but he stopped her—
a gentle pull, a kiss upon her forehead, soft as a whisper she'd never forget.
She stood frozen, caught in the hush between goodbye and goodbye again.
And in that stillness,
She made a choice—
She would live in the real world now. In Jace's world, in his quiet love, his constant care.
She returned to her apartment, but its silence screamed his name.
Every corner echoed with shadows of him.
She was unraveling, so she sent a message,
"Jacy, pick me up. I can't stay here anymore."
Thirty minutes.
He came like a prayer answered in a storm. His voice, a tether,
"Where do you want to go?"
She didn't look at him.
"To your place. Just for a while."
His surprise painted the air.
"Are you okay, Anna? Tell me you're not joking."
Still, she wouldn't meet his eyes.
"I'm sure."
He hesitated, then softly asked,
"What are we, then? What do I call this… us?"
And with a breath, she said, "Maybe I'm just a lost soul—
but one who needs your love to find her way home."
(To be continued......)