The Garden of Lost Hopes (97)

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Aeron's POV

I didn't realize I was starting until my chest ached. Starfania lay beside me in the grass, the breeze threading itself through her hair as if it belonged there, dark strands lifting and falling like silk. Sunlight kissed her skin, catching on the curve of her smile—the kind that didn't try to be bright, just was. And her eyes...gods, her eyes. Deep. Endless. Like they held entire constellations no one else could see. The world narrowed to the sound of my heartbeat. Slow. Then, not so slow. Warmth spread through me, quiet and undeniable, and the truth finally settled—heavy, terrifying, and beautiful all at once. I hadn't just been falling for Starfania. I always had been.

  Every moment with her felt borrowed from something kinder than reality

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Every moment with her felt borrowed from something kinder than reality. Her laugh—light, unguarded—had carried me through days I never talked about. The afternoons we spent wandering the woods replayed themselves in my mind: sunlight breaking through the canopy, her voice weaving stories out of nothing, the way she listened like every word mattered. Every glance lingered a second too long. Every accidental touch sparked something electric. She saw me. Not the version I showed everyone else—but the doubts, the dreams, the fears I barely admitted to myself. And somehow, she made space for all of it. With her, silence wasn't awkward.

It was scary. That scared me more than anything. Because wanting her meant risking this. Us. What we had built so carefully. And yet...the longer I stayed quiet, the heavier the longing became. I caught myself imagining futures I had no right to picture—shared laughter, reckless adventures, a world where she chose me back. As the sky shifted into oranges and violets, I knew a choice was waiting. Hold my heart behind armor. Or finally tell the truth. I didn't know which terrified me more.

Starfania's POV

She pushed herself upright, exhaling softly, and Atlas immediately leaned in, resting his massive head against her leg as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Starfania smiled and ran her fingers over the cool, intricate texture of his scales—comforting, grounding. Aeron and Violet sat nearby, soaking in the quiet. Then Violet grinned. She leaned close to Aeron and whispered something that made him choke on a laugh. Before she could ask what she'd said, she winked at him, snatched my headscarf, and took off running.

" Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" Starfania laughed, already scrambling to her feet. Atlas lifted his head instantly, sensing the shift, and rose with her.

They didn't even need to look at each other—understanding passed between them like a spark. They ran. Violet's delighted squeals echoed through the garden as they chased her down twisting paths and through overgrown arches. Atlas kept pace beside me with surprising agility, his movements fluid and playful, like he'd been waiting his whole life for this exact moment. Laughter filled the air—pure, unfiltered, free. She cornered Violet near a low stone wall and grinned. " Got you now!"

Starfania unleashed her secret weapon. Tickles. Violet shrieked, laughter breaking into helpless gasps as she tried—and failed—to escape.

Atlas joined in, nudging her with his snout, while Drogo barreled over and flapped his wings clumsily, somehow making everything worse. It was chaos. Perfect chaos.

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