Celestial Echoes~

Chapter 19

After taking dinner everyone sit in round on the living room. They’re talking and playing games. Joshua noticed Era’s absence from the laughter-filled living room. As Seungkwan and DK continued to crack jokes that sent waves of laughter through the group, Joshua quietly slipped away, searching for her.

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On the Rooftop~

The cool night breeze swept across the dorm’s rooftop, brushing against Era’s skin as she sat, knees pulled to her chest, staring out at the twinkling city lights. The party noises were distant, but her thoughts were louder—tangled with emotions she didn’t know how to process. The reality of the Seventeen members leaving soon hit her harder than she had expected. It felt like a clock ticking down to the moment when everything would change.

She let out a soft sigh. "I can’t believe they’re leaving soon..." she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper.

Joshua, always intuitive to the feelings of others, found her on the rooftop. He approached quietly, the sound of his footsteps almost nonexistent in the stillness of the night.

"Hey, Era. Mind if I join you?" Joshua asked softly, his voice gentle, not wanting to startle her.

She glanced up at him, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Sure, Joshua. It’s nice up here."

He sat down beside her, close enough to offer comfort but far enough to respect her space. His eyes scanned her face, noticing the tightness in her expression. "You don’t seem very happy. Everything okay?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Era shrugged, attempting to play it off casually, but her façade was crumbling. "It’s just… hard to say goodbye, you know?"

Joshua nodded slowly, understanding the weight behind her words. "Yeah, I get it. It’s always tough when people you care about leave."

There was a beat of silence before Era turned her head slightly, her gaze finding his. Her heart was racing, her thoughts screaming for clarity. "Do you... do you ever wish things could be different?" she asked, her voice quiet but filled with an almost desperate need for an answer.

Joshua hesitated, but the vulnerability in his eyes was undeniable. "Sometimes. I think about how things might be if circumstances were different."

Her heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean by that?"

Joshua looked at her, his gaze soft but intense, as if weighing his words carefully. "Well, there are moments when you wish you could just say what you feel, but you hold back because you're unsure."

Era’s breath caught in her throat. Was he trying to tell her something? "Are you saying... you have something you want to say?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, hope blossoming in her chest.

Joshua smiled softly, his hesitation still lingering. "Maybe just that sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most. And sometimes, those little things can mean a lot more than you think."

Era’s pulse quickened, her mind racing as she tried to decipher his words. "Joshua, are you saying that you..." she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence, afraid to hear the answer but desperate to know it.

"I guess what I’m saying is that... I value our time together. More than you might realize," Joshua said gently, his eyes locking with hers.

Era’s heart soared. She could feel the warmth spreading through her chest, the hope she had been clinging to finally feeling justified. "I’m glad to hear that. I feel the same way. It’s been... special," she said, her voice soft but filled with emotion.

Joshua’s smile widened, though it was tinged with a hint of relief. "Then maybe, after all, there’s a chance for us to talk more about this in the future."

Era nodded, her eyes bright with unspoken possibilities. "I’d like that. I’d really like that."

For a moment, they sat in silence, the air between them filled with unspoken words and a sense of hope. The tension that had weighed down Era’s heart eased, replaced with a tentative sense of happiness.

"We should join the others," Joshua said, breaking the silence gently. "They’re having fun, so why don’t we?"

Era smiled, a real one this time, feeling lighter than she had in days. "Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for talking with me, Joshua."

"Anytime," he replied, standing up and offering her a hand. "I’m here if you need to talk."

She took his hand, and for a brief second, their fingers lingered before she let go. As they walked back inside, a sense of quiet contentment settled over them both, the promise of something more lingering in the air.

Era's POV:

I’ve never been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve, but with Joshua... it’s different. I really thought he felt the same way I did. It wasn’t just some fleeting crush, or something I could brush off as nothing. No, this felt deeper, more real. I could see it in the way his eyes would linger on me when he thought I wasn’t looking, or how his voice softened just a bit whenever he said my name. It wasn’t just my imagination. There was something there—something unspoken but powerful.

After tonight, after that conversation on the rooftop, I let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way. When he said he valued our time together, when he hinted that there might be more to say in the future, my heart soared. It felt like everything I’d been hoping for was finally within reach. For the first time in so long, I felt... light. Free, even. Like I could breathe again.

But there’s a danger in hope. It has a way of wrapping you up in its warmth, making you believe in things that aren’t guaranteed. And when that warmth is ripped away, it leaves you colder than before. I let myself believe that Joshua might really care about me, that he might feel the same way. And for that brief moment on the rooftop, I let myself imagine a future where we were more than just friends. I let myself hope.

But hope is fragile. It’s like holding a delicate glass ornament in your hands, knowing that the slightest misstep could shatter it. And now, as I sit here thinking about it, I realize that the hope I felt wasn’t as solid as I wanted it to be. It was an illusion, a fleeting moment of warmth that I mistook for something more. I thought I was safe, that I had finally found some kind of peace, but deep down, I know that the hardest part is yet to come.

Because the truth is, I don’t know what Joshua truly feels. Maybe he was being cautious, maybe he was holding back. Or maybe... maybe he doesn’t feel the same way after all. And that uncertainty, that not knowing, is what scares me the most. It’s the weight I thought I had escaped, only to realize that it’s still there, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

The worst part? I don’t know if I’ll ever get the answers I’m looking for. And that... that’s what hurts the most.

The tale whispers on~~!