Alya sat alone in her apartment that evening, the window slightly cracked to let in the cool air of the city night. The city lights shimmered like stars outside, but inside, everything felt dim and uncertain. Her mind was a battlefield of emotions—memories of Evan, the haunting sound of his name, and the steady presence of Orlando, who had somehow found his way into her thoughts in a way she couldn't explain.
The past few days had been a whirlwind. After that conversation at the café, Alya couldn't stop thinking about Evan. She had tried to move on, to let go of the boy she had once loved so completely. But his absence—his silence—left a void in her life that she wasn't sure how to fill. Every time she saw Orlando, she felt a spark of something she hadn't felt in years. Something real. But how could she allow herself to fall for someone new when Evan's shadow still loomed so large in her heart?
The sound of her phone vibrating against the table broke the silence. Alya glanced at the screen and saw Orlando's name flash across it. Her stomach fluttered involuntarily.
Should I answer?
She hesitated, her thumb hovering over the screen before she pressed "Accept."
"Hey," Orlando's voice was warm, familiar, and it sent a shiver down her spine. "I was wondering if you'd like to meet at the café again. I've got something I want to show you."
Alya bit her lip, her mind racing. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him—she did. But there was something in the way he said it that made her heart race, something that made her nervous.
"I—" She stopped herself, exhaling slowly. "Okay. I'll be there in half an hour."