A heart's tribulations

"Do you believe in fate?"

"Fate?"

"En... Do you think that two people who were torn apart will always find a way back to each other?"

"If fate separated them, why would it allow them to reunite?"

He had no answer for that. But there was one thing he knew with certainty-this was not their first meeting. If not in this lifetime, then in another. Their souls had intertwined before, drawn together across the endless cycle of rebirth, as if the heavens themselves refused to let them part forever.

"When all of this is over, let's leave everything behind," he murmured, his arms wrapping around the other's waist, pulling him close. His breath was warm against the nape of his neck, voice laced with a tenderness that made the moment feel fragile, as though it might shatter if spoken too loudly.

"We'll find a secluded place deep in the mountains, just the two of us. A quiet courtyard where the spring breeze carries the scent of blossoms. In the mornings, we'll watch the mist roll over the peaks, and at night, we'll fall asleep to the sound of rustling bamboo. I'll carve your favorite dolls, and you will play the guqin beneath the falling petals. Doesn't that sound nice?"

A soft chuckle, barely more than a breath, escaped the other's lips. He leaned back into the embrace, tilting his head slightly .

"Mn," he whispered, the word almost melting into the night air. "I like that."