The morning after Kael's visit, the world looked cleaner, as if the rain had washed away something unseen. Olivia stirred from her sofa, the blanket tangled around her ankles, the smell of lavender from last night's candle still faint in the air. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the muted daylight.
The flat felt different. Still quiet, still small—but less hollow.
Her fingers trailed absentmindedly along her collarbone as she replayed his words in her mind. "I left because I love you." It was the kind of thing she'd once dreamed of hearing—before he became the one who broke her. And now, hearing it after all the silence, it felt like walking through a storm barefoot: raw, painful, electrifying.
Her phone buzzed.
AIDEN: "Hope you're okay. Can we talk?"
She sat up slowly. Her heart tugged in two different directions. She had barely processed Kael's return and now Aiden—constant, kind Aiden—was reaching out. Aiden had been the arms she ran to when the world collapsed. But he wasn't just a rebound. He had mattered. He still did.
She texted back: "Later today. I need some time."
After a long shower, Olivia threw on a knit jumper and jeans, tied her curls into a messy bun, and made herself tea. Her thoughts bounced between Kael and Aiden like a silent tennis match. She sipped slowly, willing her nerves to still.
Kael had always stirred something wild in her. With him, it felt like dancing near fire. But Aiden… Aiden was warmth without the burn. He was steadiness in a world full of chaos.
Could she have both fire and peace?
A knock at the door snapped her from her thoughts. She wasn't expecting anyone.
When she opened it, she froze.
Kael stood there, holding a bouquet of wildflowers and wearing a sheepish smile.
"I know it's early," he said. "But I needed to see you."
She blinked, stepping aside to let him in. "What is it with you and surprise visits?"
Kael grinned. "You keep leaving doors in my dreams. I just follow them."
He handed her the flowers, and she accepted them wordlessly, placing them in a glass jar.
"You remembered I like wildflowers," she said softly.
"You said they're the only ones that feel real. That they grow even in broken places."
Olivia turned to face him, arms crossed. "So… what is this now? Are we pretending everything's fine?"
Kael's face sobered. "No. I'm not here to pretend. I want to try. For real this time. No half-hearted excuses. No disappearing acts."
She studied him. "And what if I say I've changed?"
He shrugged. "Then I'll get to know the new you. Rain and all."
Olivia swallowed hard. Her throat burned with questions she wasn't ready to ask. What did he really want? Did he understand the damage he'd done?
She changed the subject. "Aiden messaged me."
Kael's jaw tightened slightly, but he nodded. "I figured he would."
"You don't get to be jealous," she added quickly.
"I'm not," he said. "I'm just… aware of what I lost when I left you."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly did you lose?"
He stepped closer, the space between them charged again. "Everything I didn't know I needed."
Their eyes met, the silence louder than any storm.
Then her phone buzzed again.
AIDEN: "I'm outside. Didn't want to wait."
Her breath caught.
Kael glanced at the phone. "Well, that's my cue."
She grabbed his arm. "Stay. Just… wait in the kitchen. I'll talk to him quickly."
Kael gave her a look. "You sure?"
"No. But do it anyway."
She stepped out into the hallway just as Aiden was about to knock. His eyes lit up when he saw her. He looked tired, but hopeful.
"I brought you your favourite pastries," he said, lifting a paper bag.
She smiled faintly. "Thanks."
"I was worried. After the fight."
Olivia nodded. "Me too."
He looked into her eyes, gentle and unwavering. "I'm not trying to push. But I miss you. I miss us."
"I know," she said quietly.
"Has he been here?" Aiden asked.
There was no anger in his voice. Just resignation.
"Yes."
Aiden nodded slowly. "Do you love him?"
She hesitated. "I don't know."
"I think you do," he said, with a soft smile that broke her heart. "But I had to try."
Olivia felt the weight of it all pressing down on her.
"Aiden, I don't want to hurt you."
"You're not. You're just figuring out where your heart belongs."
Tears prickled at her eyes. "You deserve someone who doesn't hesitate."
He leaned forward, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "So do you."
When he left, Olivia stood still for a moment, her hand pressed against the door.
She turned to find Kael leaning in the doorway to the kitchen, arms folded, watching her.
"I heard," he said.
"I'm sorry," she said, voice hoarse.
"Don't be." He walked over. "Just tell me if you want me to stay."
Olivia looked up into his eyes, the kind that held storms and warmth all at once.
"I want you to stay," she said.
And as they stood there, wildflowers blooming between them, something unspoken began to heal.