The morning after their kiss, Emilia woke up feeling lighter than she had in weeks. The tension that had lingered between her and Jaden had finally given way to something softer, something more meaningful. But with that clarity came new questions, and she wasn't sure she was ready for all the answers.
At the studio, her thoughts kept drifting back to the night before. The way Jaden's hand had lingered on hers, the unspoken promises in his kiss—it was a new kind of vulnerability, one that thrilled and terrified her in equal measure.
By the time her lunch break rolled around, she couldn't resist reaching out.
Emilia: Last night was… something.
Jaden: Something good, I hope.
Emilia: More than good. It felt like a start.
Jaden: I like the sound of that.
Her heart fluttered at his words, and she spent the rest of the afternoon with a faint smile on her face.
That evening, Jaden showed up at her door unannounced, a bouquet of wildflowers in hand.
"I thought I'd surprise you," he said, holding the flowers out to her.
Emilia laughed, taking the bouquet. "You're full of surprises lately."
"Good ones, I hope?"
"The best ones," she admitted, stepping aside to let him in.
They spent the evening talking, sharing pieces of themselves they hadn't yet revealed. Emilia told him about the art scholarship she'd turned down years ago, the one that would've taken her halfway across the world but away from everything familiar. Jaden opened up about his childhood, the strained relationship with his father, and how it had shaped his guarded approach to relationships.
"It's hard for me to trust people," he admitted, his voice quiet. "To let them in. But with you, it feels… easier. Like I don't have to try so hard."
Emilia reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "You don't have to try at all. I'm here, Jaden. No matter what."
Her words seemed to settle something in him, and for the first time in a long time, Jaden felt the weight of his walls beginning to crumble.
A Weekend Away
A few days later, Jaden surprised Emilia with an idea: a weekend trip to the mountains.
"I figured we could use a change of scenery," he said, his voice tinged with nervous excitement.
Emilia hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "I like the way you think."
The drive was filled with easy banter and shared playlists, their laughter echoing in the car as the city faded into the distance. When they arrived at the cozy cabin Jaden had rented, Emilia couldn't help but be impressed.
"This is perfect," she said, stepping onto the porch and taking in the view of the sprawling forest below.
Jaden joined her, slipping an arm around her waist. "I wanted to give us some space. To just be."
The weekend was everything they needed—long hikes, quiet evenings by the fire, and the kind of conversations that deepened their bond in ways neither of them had expected.
One night, as they sat outside under a blanket of stars, Jaden turned to Emilia, his expression serious.
"I don't know what the future holds," he said. "But I know that I want you in it."
Emilia's heart swelled, her hand reaching for his. "Then let's figure it out together."
The trip solidified something unspoken between them—a promise that, no matter the challenges ahead, they would face them as a team. And as they drove back to the city, Emilia couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something extraordinary.