The frozen heart

Chapter 24: Drinks and Dissonance

Chapter 24: Drinks and Dissonance

Months had passed, and Anne had settled back into the steady rhythm of her ordinary life. The strange, vivid dream that had once haunted her had slowly faded into the background, just a distant memory that occasionally surfaced in her mind, but never stayed for long.

She had kept herself busy—working her nine-to-five job, meeting friends for coffee, sometimes heading out to the bars or clubs on the weekends. Life was predictable, comfortable even. She was still living in the same apartment, still waking up to the same alarm clock each morning, still sitting at the same desk every day at work. Her world had returned to its usual, unremarkable routine.

Tonight was no different.

She was at a club downtown with a group of friends, sipping a drink and half-heartedly nodding along to the pulsing music that reverberated through the air. People around her were dancing, laughing, shouting over the heavy beat of the DJ's set. The room was dark, save for the flashing neon lights that occasionally illuminated the crowd, casting everyone in bursts of vibrant color. Anne wasn't really paying attention to any of it.

Her friends were deep in conversation, talking about their latest relationships, jobs, and weekend plans. Anne joined in now and then, offering a comment or a laugh when it seemed appropriate. But most of the time, she let their voices wash over her without truly engaging.

She didn't feel out of place exactly—this was her life, her circle, her usual routine—but there was a dullness to it all. A sense of stagnation she couldn't quite shake.

Still, she smiled when someone told a joke, and she raised her glass when someone proposed a toast. It was all so normal, so ordinary. There was nothing wrong with it.

But there was nothing extraordinary about it, either.

The drinks flowed, the music pulsed, and Anne danced with her friends, letting the thrum of the bass vibrate through her body. The more she moved, the more she could push away the vague restlessness that had been gnawing at her lately. She laughed when they did, played along with the fun, and for a while, it worked. She forgot about everything—about her job, her apartment, the dull routine of it all.

It felt like a release, but not in the way she truly needed.

She had almost forgotten entirely about the dream from months ago. It seemed so distant now, like a fragment of her imagination that had been blown out of proportion. That strange, unsettling world had faded into nothing more than a fleeting memory.

After all, it had been just a dream.

Kaiden. The castle. The kitchen. The punishments. It had all seemed so vivid, so painfully real back then. But now, standing in the middle of a crowded club with a drink in her hand and laughter surrounding her, it all felt like some far-off fantasy. Maybe it had never felt real to begin with. Just the product of a restless mind after too many late nights with a book in hand.

Anne took another sip of her drink, her eyes scanning the crowd. Her friends were still laughing, still dancing, but she had slowed down. She stared at the flashing lights, the blur of bodies moving to the beat, and felt strangely disconnected from it all.

She didn't miss the dream world, not really. Who would miss a place filled with pain and fear? Yet, there was something about it she couldn't fully shake. The intensity of it. The weight of the emotions. And Kaiden... the way he had looked at her, the way he had trusted her. The way he had cared.

She shook her head and took another drink.

It was just a dream, she reminded herself again. A strange, realistic dream, but nothing more.