Lucid

CHAPTER 15 - FIREWORK

The sun was slipping below the horizon, stretching its final rays across the sky, turning the water below into a pool of molten gold.

And in the fading light, Ethan glowed.

He leaned against the weathered red railing of the bridge, his face half-buried in the crook of his arm, staring out at the water as if searching for something. I could have called out to him earlier, but I didn't.

He needed this moment.

He deserved it.

I already knew he wouldn't leave when he said he would. That's why I stayed nearby. That's why I waited.

And now, here he was.

It's strange, how emotions between two people can stretch beyond words—how I could stand here and know what he felt. A silent understanding, something deeper than speech. It wasn't exactly love language, but it was close.

I finally stepped forward, my voice light but steady. "Back again?"

Ethan didn't turn. "I can't stop thinking about this place." He exhaled slowly, like he was fighting to keep something inside. "The further I am from it, the more I feel drawn back. No matter where I go, no matter what I do, my mind always ends up here."

His heartbeat faltered. He was nervous.

"Is this place that special to you?"

He hesitated. I felt the flicker of hesitation before I saw it—the way his grip tightened against the railing, how his breath stilled.

"It's—"

Something unspoken tugged at him. He tried to push it down, the memory of that dark night pressing against the edges of his thoughts.

But I already knew.

His voice softened. "It's where I found you."

I stepped closer, placing a hand on his shoulder. His heart beat hard beneath my touch.

He was afraid.

And yet, he let me feel it. Let me in.

I smiled gently. "Ethan, you don't have to prove how you feel." I could already see it in his eyes. Could feel it, woven into every breath he took.

His love was real. Pure. Unfiltered.

"I have to," he said. "It's the only thing I can do. I've been making this difficult."

His body shuddered against a breath he didn't want to release. I ran a slow hand down his back, soothing the tension coiling beneath his skin.

"I know," I murmured. "And I understand. But don't hate yourself for it. None of this is your fault."

His body stiffened. Then, gently, he pulled away.

Ethan walked alongside the bridge, dragging his fingers along the worn wooden railing. His voice was barely above the hush of the wind.

"It is my fault, Ayden. I keep messing things up. No matter where I go, no matter what I do, things just... get worse." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "I swear I'm cursed."

If he was, I would've sensed it. And I knew—by common witch law—that cursing someone with a pure heart was forbidden.

He wasn't cursed.

He was hurting.

"Ethan." I followed him, standing so close I could feel his warmth against me. "You know everything's going to be okay, right?"