Just The Girl

Chapter 24

D A H L I A

I stepped onto the sidewalk, letting the cool breeze brush against my skin, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I breathed. Really breathed. There was no heaviness in my chest today, no weight dragging down my every step. Instead, there was a lightness, a sense of ease that I hadn't felt in so long.

My shoes tapped rhythmically against the pavement, and the sound was oddly soothing, like a song that had always been playing but I was only just beginning to hear.

The sky above was a soft, pale blue, dotted with cotton candy clouds that drifted lazily across. The sun was warm, but not overwhelming—it kissed the tops of the trees, casting playful shadows on the ground. I felt the sun's rays on my face, the warmth reminding me that I was alive, that I had made it through the darkness.

It was strange, really, how the world looked today. So ordinary, and yet, in this moment, everything felt so wonderfully new, like seeing it all for the first time.

As I walked, I took in the little things—the rustle of leaves as the breeze passed through them, the distant hum of traffic, the faint sound of laughter from a nearby park. It was all so simple, but there was something incredibly beautiful about it. The world was alive, vibrant, and for once, I felt like I was a part of it rather than an outsider looking in.

I was heading to the coffee shop near Ivan's university, the one tucked away on the corner of 8th and Main. I had been there countless times before, but today, the thought of sitting by the window with a warm cup of coffee felt different. It felt like a gift, like a moment of peace that I had earned after all the chaos inside my mind.

I smiled to myself as I pictured the barista who always greeted me with a knowing nod, the soft chatter of people inside, the faint aroma of roasted beans that greeted you the second you walked through the door.

The sidewalk was dotted with little bursts of color—flowers poking up between the cracks, a splash of pink here, a bit of yellow there. I paused for a moment, crouching down to admire them, tiny miracles of life thriving in the most unexpected places. They didn't need to be in a garden to be beautiful; they found a way to bloom wherever they were. I liked that. It reminded me of myself, in a way.

I stood back up and kept walking, my pace unhurried, savoring every moment. The sun shifted behind a cloud for a moment, casting a soft shadow over the street, and I found myself smiling again. It was a quiet smile, the kind that comes when you're alone but content, when the world doesn't feel so heavy anymore.

I had been through a lot—I knew that—but in this moment, none of it mattered. What mattered was now, this walk, this air filling my lungs, this peaceful feeling wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

I thought back to the days when I couldn't imagine feeling this way—when the world felt gray and muted, and even getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task. Those days had weighed me down, dragged me through the mud, left me feeling like a shell of myself. But today, something was different. The colors had returned. The sounds, the smells, the little things—they were all vibrant again, reminding me of what it felt like to simply be alive.

Was this all Ivan's doing? Was yesterday's event slowly brought me out of that void of darkness I had consumed myself with?

I passed by a street musician, his guitar strumming a soft, soothing tune. I paused for a moment, listening, letting the music wash over me. It wasn't a song I recognized, but it didn't matter. It was just nice to hear something other than the noise inside my own head for a change. I dropped a few coins into his open guitar case, nodding at him as he gave me a grateful smile.