Between Time and Us

~ A Story of What Remains...

She thought her story ended, but his never began.

She lost a love that shaped her world... and thought her heart could never heal.
But somewhere, someone had loved her silently, endlessly, from the shadows.

Fate doesn't always follow the rules we expect. It whispers, lingers, and threads lives together in the quietest ways. Every glance, every heartbeat, every stolen moment carries a story that refuses to end.

"Sometimes love hides in the stillness of time, between what was and what could be - until the smallest footsteps bring it home again."

*******

It's strange, almost amusing how time plays tricks on you. People expect it to heal, to magically erase the pain-but what if it doesn't? I'm ALANA, walking these streets of Raleigh, North Carolina, a city that has given me everything: freedom, laughter, dreams... and yet, sometimes, a sense of loss. Among the fragments of myself I find along the quiet streets, Riha remains my secret anchor, the one thing that keeps me strong: RIHA

A ping from my phone pulled me back to the present. I had left it on the kitchen island while I baked walnut and banana cookies-a small treat for someone special, someone I wanted to surprise. The oven timer rang, and I smiled, thinking of the small joys we can offer without words.
I opened the message. A photo of tiramisu-my favorite. A flicker of happiness, a touch of anticipation.

Time confuses you sometimes. Life turns into a puzzle, leaving you to wonder how the pieces will connect. And somehow, the same puzzle pieces keep returning-pieces I'm still trying to figure out, JAY...