The rain poured down in sheets outside Ana's apartment, hammering against the window like the relentless thoughts in her mind. The sky was a charcoal gray, illuminated only by occasional flashes of lightning in the distance. The soft glow of a single lamp bathed the small living room in a golden hue, casting long shadows on the walls, making the room feel smaller, more intimate—almost suffocating.
Ana stood by the window, her arms wrapped around herself, watching the rain streak down the glass. The city lights outside blurred into an indistinguishable glow. Her heart felt heavy with emotions she couldn't name, thoughts swirling like the storm outside. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Daniel since the reunion. Every memory of him came back with force, each one filled with the bittersweet knowledge that no matter how much she longed for their past, it had been irreparably broken.
Then came the knock on the door—three sharp raps that echoed through the quiet apartment. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She knew it was him.
She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering over the doorknob, as if opening the door would also unlock a flood of emotions she wasn't ready to face. Finally, with a deep breath, she turned the knob and opened the door.
Daniel stood there, drenched from the rain. His black coat clung to his broad shoulders, and his hair was soaked, droplets dripping onto his face. His eyes—those same deep, intense eyes—locked onto hers immediately, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall away. The storm outside might as well have been miles away, its fury pale in comparison to the storm brewing between them.
"Can I come in?" His voice was low, rough with something she couldn't quite place. It was different from the playful, warm tone she remembered.
Ana stepped aside without a word, letting him pass. His presence filled the small room, the air between them thick with unspoken words. As Daniel moved inside, the scent of rain and leather mixed with the lingering warmth of the apartment, heightening the tension that was already simmering just beneath the surface.
He didn't sit down. Instead, he turned to face her, standing in the middle of the room like a force of nature—untamed, unpredictable. His gaze never left her, searching her face for something she wasn't sure she could give.
"Ana," he began, his voice soft but edged with something raw. "We need to talk."
The words sent a chill down her spine. She had been waiting for this conversation, dreading it, but knowing it was inevitable. "About what?" she asked, her own voice coming out more fragile than she intended.
"About us." He took a step toward her, and for a moment, she felt the familiar heat that always radiated from him, even in the coldest moments. "I can't stop thinking about you. About us. I came back here, and everything I've been trying to forget just came rushing back."
Ana looked away, focusing on the rain outside, trying to keep herself grounded. "Daniel… things aren't the same anymore. Too much has happened. Your father—"
"I know what my father did," he cut her off, his voice hardening for a split second. The mention of his father always seemed to bring a flicker of darkness to his expression, a shadow that hadn't been there before. "But this isn't about him. This is about us."
Ana's eyes flickered back to his, searching for some semblance of the man she had once loved, the man who had been her rock during the hardest moments of her life. "How can it not be about him? He's the reason everything fell apart."
"I don't blame you for what you did," Daniel said, taking another step closer, his eyes softening as he looked at her. "You did what you had to do. I get that. But it doesn't change the fact that I still—" He stopped himself, his jaw tightening as if the words were too painful to say.
She stood frozen, torn between the desire to reach out to him and the need to protect herself from the inevitable heartbreak she could feel lurking just beneath the surface. "You still what?" she whispered, barely able to speak the words, her chest tightening with anticipation.
"I still love you," he finally said, the words tumbling out in a rush. His voice was hoarse, filled with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat. "I never stopped. Even after everything… even after all the pain, I couldn't let go of you."
Ana's breath hitched. The weight of his confession hung in the air like the thick humidity before a storm, heavy and electric. She felt the pull between them, stronger now than it had ever been. Her rational mind screamed at her to walk away, to close the door on the past. But her heart—her heart had never really let him go.
She took a step forward, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. "Daniel…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't know if I can do this again."
His hand reached up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear that had fallen without her realizing it. His touch was gentle, familiar, and it shattered the last of her resolve. "You don't have to decide now," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "Just… let me in. Let me be here for you, the way I should have been before."
And then his lips were on hers.
The kiss was soft at first, tentative, as if testing the waters of emotions too dangerous to fully dive into. But as Ana responded, as she melted into him, the kiss deepened, igniting a fire that had been smoldering between them for years. Her hands tangled in his wet hair, pulling him closer, and for a moment, nothing else existed but the two of them.
The room was dim, the sound of rain pounding against the windows like a wild heartbeat, matching the erratic rhythm of her own. They stumbled backward, her back pressing against the cold wall as his hands roamed down her sides, tracing the familiar curves of her body. Every touch was a reminder of what they had shared, of the passion that had once burned so brightly between them.
Daniel broke the kiss for a brief moment, his breath hot against her skin as he whispered, "I don't want to lose you again, Ana."
She looked up at him, her chest heaving, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. "I don't want to lose you either," she breathed, though even as she said the words, doubt gnawed at the edges of her heart. The past still loomed over them, a dark cloud that refused to dissipate.
But for now, in this moment, none of that mattered. The storm outside raged on, but inside, wrapped in Daniel's arms, Ana allowed herself to get swept away by the storm inside her heart. She didn't know what tomorrow would bring, didn't know if this fragile rekindling would survive the weight of their shared history, but she couldn't deny the undeniable pull between them.
For tonight, at least, she would let herself believe in the possibility of them again on.