𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙨 | 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐲 / 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭

The sun was setting in a rich tapestry of gold and crimson as I strolled through the familiar streets of my old village, the typical things on my mind, my old cottage, my old music box, the sweet bakery smells, and of course, the man I'm still desperate for despite the years behind our no longer continuing story.

As I continued to walk through my favorite field, the one I first kissed Coriolanus in, the air was fragrant with the scent of blooming jasmine and night time flowers, stirring up long-forgotten memories. It had been years since I last walked this way, the cobblestones familiar beneath my feet, and yet they felt different—charged with nostalgia and longing within my untouched and hungry body.

As I rounded the corner, right next to Corios old cottage we'd spend our late nights in, I could hardly believe my eyes. There stood Coriolanus, leaning against the gate of his old cottage building, a half-smile gracing his lips as he pulled something from his rusted mailbox.

He hadn't changed much; his tousled light hair glimmered in the fading light, and those sharp blue eyes still had the ability to hold my attention completely. I caught my own breath, and reached for the trim of my dress to keep me steady.

"it's been ages," I said, approaching him cautiously.

"Y/n?" he said walked right over to me, quickly finding a place to place the mail so that he could pull me into a hug. We were childhood friends before all else anyways.

His long arms wrapped around my waist, his chin rested onto my shoulder, my hair filling his scent, he was just as warm as I could remember. I took a deep breath as he slowly pulled away from me, slyly letting his hands stay longer than what should've been deemed welcome.

"It's been long, Corio." I said looking at him with all my desire lingering.

"Too long," he replied, his voice was deep and inviting. After smiling at one another for a while longer, he offers. "You should come up for a cup of tea—catch up. My balcony's the best place to reminisce." his voice was teetering on a stutter.

Yet there was something magnetic about his invitation. Temptation tugged at me, a whisper in my head that said, "What's the worst that could happen?" knowing that this was probably going to end up somewhere it hasn't in years, but somewhere its wanted to.

I nodded, and he stepped aside, holding the gate open with a sweet smile on his face.

As we climbed the stairs throughout his old place, the building exhaled memories—laughter, love, and especially heartaches. It was hard to believe that just a few years ago, Coriolanus and I had been entangled in an unspoken flame that flickered only in stolen moments in the hot nights and heated touches. A situation that neither of us knew how to define, yet it clung to my heart like a tattoo on my skin, like a catchy rhythm I couldn't get out of my head, something I couldn't erase.

Then finally, we reached his balcony, the fields sprawled out before us, a canvas of life painted with twinkling lights and the distant sound of bugs and wind. The cool evening air was refreshing, blowing my hair every which way, keeping his eyes glued on me.

Coriolanus gestured for me to sit, the same two chairs we sit and chat in for hours were there, and the table I had said my last goodbye to him over. As he disappeared into his cottage or a moment, and I took in the view, letting my heart race with the excitement and the chance of rekindling an old flame that I wasn't ready to yet let go of.

Finally, He returned with two steaming mugs, the aroma of chamomile wafting towards me. My favorite. "Thought you might enjoy this," he said, handing me a cup. Our fingers brushing against each other for a fleeting moment, and an electric jolt surged through me as I held tightly to the warm mug.