Morning came gently over Lucid City, washing the skyline in pale gold and soft mist, the echoes of last night's dream still lingered, Riah rose from the bed, pacing, desperate for distance from whatever this was. The floor felt cold beneath her bare feet, but still, that warmth clung to her — like he had left a part of himself behind, her reflection in the mirror caught her eye, her pupils were wide, her lips flushed, and for a moment—she thought she saw movement, a shadow, a flicker of someone else's gaze looking back, Riah stumbled back, heart leaping into her throat. "Lucian?" she breathed, as if the name itself summoned him. " get a grip Riri, it's just your head imagining things again." Riah dashed to the bathroom, as she was getting late for work.
"Good morning, Mama," Riah said, her voice warm but weary, "Morning, my dear," her mother smiled faintly. "You're up early again".
Riah placed a tray on the small bedside table warm porridge, slices of fruit, and a glass of water. She handed over her mother's medication, watching carefully as she took them, "You treat me too well," her mother said after a moment, eyes glistening with affection. "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you." Riah smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair from her mother's face, "You raised me, that's more than enough reason mama." Her mother's hand covered hers, fragile but firm. "Don't forget to live for yourself too, Riah have fun, go out with Nessa, meet someone who will love you more than your papa loved me." The words followed her even after she left the house.The day unfolded quietly at the children hospital,the routine felt heavier than usual the soft sound of dropping drips, the low hum of voices, the faint scent of coffee,Riah left the hospital early over to Marcus house, she was the nurse who tends to him,marcus was always excited to see riah, she checked his vital to his the improvement in his sleeping, leaning against his bed with that familiar calm expression,Marcus whispered "you look tired miss sunny", Riah smiled warmly at him, " I'm alright Marcus don't worry about me."
Marcus frowned, tilting his head like he could see through her. "You shouldn't lie," he said, his tone innocent but sure. "When you say you're fine, your eyes look sad." the words hit her harder than she expected, for a heartbeat, she didn't know what to say. She busied herself arranging his medication, hoping he wouldn't notice the tremor in her hands, Marcus watched her quietly, then said, "Did you have a bad dream miss sunny?" Riah froze, glancing up sharply with a soft smile. "Why do you ask that?"marcus shrugged, picking up his pencil again. "You just look like someone who woke up from a bad dream and didn't get any sleep after." Riah's chest tightened, for a second, she almost laughed—not because it was funny, but because somehow, this fragile little boy had seen right through her. "Maybe you're too smart for your age," she murmured, brushing his hair back gently, Marcus grinned, proud. "That's what my mom says."
she stayed a little longer than she needed to—listening to his soft chatter, his stories about the drawings he made. It was the only time her thoughts quieted. But as she packed up to leave, a faint chill brushed the back of her nece,like someone was watching and listening, Riah turned toward the window, heart thudding but there was nothing there, only the wind, still somewhere deep inside that invisible bond, a pulse stirred in answer,her pulse quickened, "It's just your imagination Riah," she whispered, she bit down on her lip. "I'm really losing it," she muttered she snapped out of her thought and gathered her things ready to leave.
Meanwhile in the other side of lucid city Nessa had buried herself in work—schedules, reports, back-to-back meetings, anything to fight the urge to call Louis, but no matter how many emails she sent or how many files she reviewed, his face kept slipping through her thoughts, the memory of that night, the way his eyes darkened, the way his lips tasted faintly of danger and warmth refused to fade, she tried to push away the image of the blood incident, the fear that flickered behind his expression afterward, something about the way he reacted… it had unsettled her deeply, board meetings upon board meetings came and went, but Louis was nowhere to be found, his empty seat at the end of the long glass table felt louder than any voice in the room, the time the meeting ended, Nessa could no longer hold it in, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number before she overthinks it, she dials once, No answer.Twice, Still nothing. By the fifth attempt, her hands were trembling, hot and helpless, she typed quickly as frustration washed over her:Don't push me away Louis, don't do that please, not after what we shared yesterday, you made me feel wanted,I felt things I only watched in the movies,I've never felt this way about anyone Louis, so please don't push me away, just let me in let me share whatever it is your carrying ,please talk to me please, I'm at my peek, I could go crazy if you keep pushing me louie, so please don't run away from me please let me stay with you, that all I want.
Nessa hit send, then dropped the phone onto her desk and sank back into her chair, the office lights hummed quietly above her. Hours passed,Still no reply that same sharp disappointment returned, pressing against her ribs like a bruise she couldn't hide anymore, "Why, Louis?" she whispered, voice breaking. "Why won't you let me have you?"her throat tightened as tears threatened to fall, she swiped them away, gathered her things, and shut down her computer, the room felt hollow without his voice echoing in.