You Only Live Once

CHAPTER 39

The reception was a dizzying blur of opulence that felt entirely too loud for the hollow ache in Mira's chest. The ballroom was grander than anything she had ever seen, with a dance floor that stretched out like a sea of polished marble and walls lined with gold leaf. Waiters moved like ghosts through the crowd, carrying trays of champagne and slices of a wedding cake that looked more like an architectural feat than a dessert. Mira had tried to take a bite, but the sweetness felt like ash in her mouth. She couldn't stay inside. The air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and the suffocating weight of expectations.

She slipped through the tall glass doors, seeking the sanctuary of the night. The garden was vast, cooled by a summer breeze that carried the scent of damp earth and blooming jasmine. In the center of the grounds, a massive stone fountain carved with intricate sea creatures spilled water into a wide basin. The constant, rhythmic splashing was exactly what she needed to drown out the echoes of the ceremony.

As she drew closer, she realized she wasn't alone. A small, orange ember glowed in the darkness, and the sharp, familiar scent of tobacco reached her. Theo was sitting on the stone ledge, his tuxedo jacket discarded beside him and a cigarette held between his fingers. He looked tired—not the kind of tired that comes from a long day, but the kind that settles into the bones after months of pretending.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave" Mira said quickly, her heart hammering against her ribs. She took a half-step back, her eyes darting toward the garden path as she looked for an escape.

Theo didn't look angry. In fact, he let out a short, dry laugh that sounded surprisingly genuine. "This is an open space, Mira. You don't have to leave"

Mira hesitated, then slowly moved toward the fountain. She sat on the ledge a few feet away from him, the mist from the falling water cooling her heated skin. For a while, neither of them spoke. It was the first time in months they had been this close without a crowd between them or a wall of resentment holding them back. The sound of the fountain filled the silence, and for a moment, the war and the wedding felt like things happening to other people in another world.

"Do you hate me?" Theo asked suddenly.

The question was so blunt that Mira flinched. "What?"

"You should" he stated, his voice flat. He crushed his cigarette out against the stone and moved to sit closer to her. "I was a little harsh. Back in December. I was cruel because it was easier than being honest."

"Just a tad" she chuckled, though there was no humor in it. She kept her eyes fixed on the water, watching the way the moonlight danced on the ripples.

"But it was good, wasn't it?" he asked, his voice softening. "While it lasted. It was really good."

Mira felt a lump form in her throat. She thought of the quiet moments, the shared secrets, and the way they used to look at each other before everything went wrong. "Yes, yes it was"

Theo sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to deflate his shoulders. "There's no one else quite like you, you know. Believe me, I've looked. I've tried to find something like what we had, or someone who even reminds me of you. But it's impossible. And now I'm scared." He paused, looking at her with an intensity that made her catch her breath. "I'm scared that my only purpose in life from now on will be to find you again. Because believe me, darling, I will look for you in everyone for the rest of my life."

Mira finally turned to look at him, her heart breaking at the sorrow in his eyes. She had spent so many nights wondering if he even missed her, if he had erased her from his mind the moment he walked away. Seeing him now, so vulnerable and raw, made her realize that they had both been carrying the same weight. The pain of their separation hadn't disappeared; it had just become a part of the landscape.