Kai didn't touch her again. Not after the kiss. Not after the look in her eyes that said not yet but he also didn't run. He started showing up in quiet places. Always alone. Never speaking unless she did first.
He watched her not with hunger this time, but with recognition. It was worse than seduction because it was real. Friday morning, she stepped out of the elevator and saw a white paper bag resting on her desk. No note but the scent hit her like a wave of nostalgia: warm cinnamon, orange zest, and brown sugar.
She opened the bag and it was her favorite pastry from a bakery no one knew she loved. A hole-in-the-wall café that used to be theirs. A place they used to sneak to on Sunday mornings before the world had woken up.
Her hands trembled.
She didn't eat it.
She didn't throw it away either.
Later that day, Kai was gone from his office, she told herself she didn't care until she passed the elevator and caught the floor number — 12.
The rooftop garden. Ariella followed instinct, not logic. When the doors opened, she stepped out into memory.
There he was.
Alone on the same bench they'd once carved their initials into during a rainstorm.
He didn't turn when she approached.
Just said, quietly, "You used to read poetry here. Out loud. Even though you thought your voice wasn't good enough."
She didn't respond. The wind caught her hair, the scent of lavender and late summer in the air.
Kai added softly, "I was in love with you before I even kissed you."
Her heart clenched.
He finally turned.
"I don't expect you to forgive me. But I need you to know i remember what it felt like to love you."
She whispered, "And what did it feel like?"
He took a step toward her.
"Like coming home in the dark and finding the lights already on."
She looked away.
He didn't touch her.
Didn't ask for anything.
Just left something behind on the bench as he walked past.
A small velvet box.
She didn't want to look but she did. Inside — not a ring but a silver chain with the charm he gave her the night they first said I love you.
A tiny crescent moon. She had lost hers in the accident but he hadn't.
He'd kept it even without remembering why. The next day, he was gone from the office again. This time she didn't try to ignore it. She asked reception where he'd gone.
"Personal leave," they said. "He mentioned a lake house."
Her throat tightened.
The lake house.
Their lake house.
Three years ago, they'd run away there for a weekend, desperate for quiet. It had rained the whole time, and they'd made love on the floor beside the fireplace, wrapped in blankets and each other. No one else knew about that place. Not Brielle. Not his family. Just them.
Aria's phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number.
If you need to see something true, come to where we stopped time.
I'll be there until Monday. No pressure. No expectations.
Just honesty.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
She didn't reply but the next morning, she packed a bag. The lake house was exactly as she remembered.
Wooden. Secluded. Framed by pine and fog.
When she stepped out of the car, the sound of birdsong and wind filled her chest like a memory she hadn't known she missed.
Kai didn't rush to meet her. He opened the front door, silently, like he'd expected her. Hoped. But wouldn't dare ask.
She walked in without a word. It smelled like cedar and old promises. She saw the blanket. The fireplace.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"I made tea," he said, voice quiet.
She didn't answer.
He added, "You can leave anytime."
She sat on the edge of the couch. Looked at him.
"I'm not ready," she said.
"I know."
"I don't forgive you."
"I don't deserve it."
"I still want to hurt you sometimes."
"I already hurt."
She swallowed.
He stepped closer but still, he didn't touch her.
"I don't need you to love me yet," he said. "I just need you to believe I still know how."
Her voice broke. "What if I fall again?"
He looked at her like she was the only thing that ever mattered.
"Then I'll catch you this time."