Renlin felt strangely at ease with her, a calmness settling over him like a blanket, easing the usual chaos in his mind. It was a rare kind of peace, one he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever. His thoughts slowed, his focus narrowing down entirely on her. The way the soft curls of her hair framed her face, how her dimples showed just slightly when she smiled, and the way her jaw tensed in that subtle way when she was lost in thought itt was all becoming etched into his memory.
He wanted to take it all in, to memorize every detail, because deep down, he knew he couldn’t trust this moment to repeat itself. Not with her. She had always been a mystery, unpredictable and fleeting like the wind. Here tonight, gone tomorrow. And if she did leave again, he knew he would be left scrambling, trying to pick up the pieces of himself in her absence.
But for now, he let himself get lost in this fleeting moment, letting it wash over him. If it was all he’d get, he was determined to hold onto it for as long as possible.
“Why?” she asked, her voice soft as her eyes searched his.
Renlin raised a brow at her, surprised by the question. “Do you think I would’ve brought someone else?” His tone remained light, but there was an edge to it. He couldn’t imagine sharing this space with anyone else. Not even Vinnie. This place was theirs, one of the few places where things felt right, even when everything else was chaotic.
He paused, letting his thoughts settle before continuing. “I just needed a place to get away for a bit,” he admitted, his gaze drifting around the room. “Somewhere that felt…happy. A little bit of peace in my head, you know?” His eyes returned to hers, his voice softening as he added, “This place welll it’s always been that for me. For us.”
He watched her closely, wondering if she ever felt the same way. Had she ever come here on her own? Or with someone else? He didn’t want to ask, but the question lingered in the air.
When she reached for the flask, her fingers brushed against his, sending a jolt through him. He was half-tempted to toss the flask aside and grab her hand fully, to feel her fingers intertwine with his, closing the small but agonizing distance between them. But he didn’t. Instead, he just watched her, his heart racing, as she took a slow sip.
She never broke eye contact. There was something intense in the way she looked at him, something he couldn’t fully decipher. It drove him wild, that unreadable gaze, leaving him wondering what she was thinking, what she wanted, if she felt the same electric tension he did.
“You always smile like that,” she commented, her tone almost teasing. He raised a brow and shrugged, unsure of what she meant. It was true that he smiled a lot, for many reasons. His sister, Nessa, had once lectured him on how frowning supposedly took more effort and caused wrinkles. Then she offered him one of her homemade face masks, which he politely declined, much to her annoyance.
“There’s many reasons to smile,” he said, leaning back in his seat. “But you being here with me, that’s got to be the best one.” He knew it sounded cheesy, but he didn’t care. He’d always been a sucker for the cliché, a hopeless romantic at heart.
When she asked about snacks, he smirked. “If I did have snacks hidden here, they’d probably be stale or rotten by now,” he said, digging into his pockets. He pulled out a random assortment of things; a pack of cigarettes, a lanyard keychain with no keys but instead a pen on a string, and three pennies. He moved to the other pocket and retrieved a couple of paper clips, his wallet, and two sticks of gum. “I’ve got gum?” he offered with a grin. renlin couldn’t help but laugh softly as he held out the gum, as if it were a prized offering.
“Is your favorite mystery?” she asked, leaning in slightly as if truly curious. Renlin hesitated for a second, his mind spinning with a few mysteries he desperately wanted to solve. But which one was his favorite?
“The one about why the girl stopped answering the guy’s calls and texts,” he finally said, his voice soft but pointed. He gave her a wry smile, lifting a brow. “Despite having, you know, a real connection? You know the one?”
Renlin groaned under his breath, rolling his eyes at the tired compliment. He could feel the frustration bubbling up inside him. Come on, Thalia, you’re not that naive, he thought, trying to keep his tone light but struggling. “The problem is,” he said, licking his lips to wet them, “any girl just won’t do for me.”
He watched her, waiting for something, really anything to show she understood what he was getting at. And then it happened. She said something back, something that made his heart stutter.
“I think I could too…”
Did she really just say that? Renlin blinked, looking at her with wide eyes. Was this real? Was this actually happening or was it another one of those vivid dreams where everything was perfect until it wasn’t? He needed to ground himself, to make sure.
His eyes darted around the room, instinctively using the trick he’d learned to pull himself out of anxiety or to tell if he was asleep. Three things you can feel: the solid wood of the desk beneath his fingers, the fabric of his pants, the warmth of the coffee cup. Two things you can smell: the faint scent of her shampoo, something floral he couldn’t quite place but was sure wasn’t his, and the comforting aroma of brewing coffee. One thing you can hear: her voice, soft and real, because she was here, and not in some nightmare.
She wasn’t part of his dreams. She was the escape from them.
@Kristi will add all the pizzazz later