Ona Battle x T/N

Chapter 5

The night grew colder, but the warmth between you and Ona kept you grounded in the moment. Leaning against her, feeling her heartbeat, you were suddenly aware of how long you had missed this-this closeness, this sense of safety in her presence. The world around you felt distant, as though nothing else mattered except the two of you.

But even in that peaceful silence, there was something unsaid, lingering just beneath the surface. A question, a fear that neither of you had dared to voice yet. It was one thing to sit here together, to talk about starting fresh, but what about everything that had been left unresolved? The pain, the arguments, the reasons why you had broken up in the first place. Could you really move forward without addressing them?

Ona shifted slightly beside you, her arm still wrapped around you, but you could feel the tension building in her body. It was subtle, but you knew her well enough to notice. She wasn't completely at ease. There were things she wanted to say, things that weighed on her heart as much as they did on yours.

"I've been thinking..." Ona's voice broke the silence, hesitant and quiet.

You sat up a little, turning to face her. There was a seriousness in her expression that made your own heart skip a beat. You knew whatever she was about to say was important.

"I don't want to pretend like everything's okay just because we're together again," she said, her eyes searching yours. "I don't want to fall into the same patterns that... that hurt us before."

You nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. The past had been messy. You had hurt each other in ways neither of you had fully understood at the time. And while it felt good to be here, to consider a new beginning, you couldn't ignore what had happened between you.

"We never really talked about it," you admitted softly. "About why things fell apart."

Ona sighed, her shoulders dropping slightly as if the weight of that unspoken truth had finally been acknowledged. "I know. I think... I think I was afraid to. It was easier to walk away than to face it."

Her honesty was like a breath of fresh air, but it also stung. You had both avoided the hard conversations, letting misunderstandings fester until they became too much to handle. Now, sitting here, it was impossible to avoid them any longer.

"I didn't want to hurt you," you said, feeling a lump rise in your throat. "But I was scared. We started drifting apart, and I didn't know how to fix it."

Ona looked down at her hands, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her jacket. "I felt the same way. And instead of talking to you, I pulled away. I thought maybe if I gave you space, things would get better, but... it just made it worse."

It was hard to hear, but it was the truth. Both of you had made mistakes, and both of you had suffered because of them. But this time, sitting together and facing those truths, it felt different. It felt like a step toward healing, toward something better.

"I don't want to make the same mistakes," Ona continued, her voice firmer now. "If we're going to try again, we need to be honest with each other. Completely."

You felt a surge of emotions-relief, fear, hope-all mixing together inside you. This was the moment of truth, the point where you either confronted everything or let it tear you apart again.

"I agree," you said, your voice steady despite the nerves bubbling inside you. "We can't go back to how things were before. But maybe... maybe that's a good thing. Maybe we can be better this time."

Ona smiled, a small but genuine smile that made your chest tighten. "I'd like that."

There was still so much to talk about, so much to work through, but for the first time in a long time, it felt like you were both ready. Ready to face the past, to admit your mistakes, and to build something stronger together. It wouldn't be easy, and the road ahead was still uncertain, but you were willing to try. And that, for now, was enough.

As you sat together under the stars, a sense of quiet hope settled between you. The weight of unspoken words had been lifted, and though there was still much to be said, you knew that you weren't alone in facing them. Ona was there, beside you, ready to walk this path with you.

Maybe this time, things could be different.