Aria didn't wait this time.
The moment school ended the next day, she was already moving—faster than usual, her eyes scanning everything, everyone.
Every face.
Every corner.
Every shadow.
Her heart pounded like she was late for something important.
Because she was.
He had been there.
Not in a dream.
Not in that strange, flickering world.
Here.
And that changed everything.
---
"Aria, wait—!"
She barely slowed as someone called her name behind her.
"Not now," she muttered under her breath, weaving through the crowd of students spilling out of the building.
Her eyes locked onto the same spot across the street where she had seen him yesterday.
Empty.
Of course it was.
But that didn't stop her.
She crossed anyway, ignoring the light, her focus sharp as she reached the other side. She turned slowly, scanning the area again.
Nothing.
Just people passing by, cars moving, conversations blending into background noise.
Normal.
Too normal.
Aria clenched her jaw slightly.
"He was right here," she whispered.
Not a guess.
Not a maybe.
She knew it.
---
She started walking.
No plan.
No direction.
Just instinct.
Her gaze moved constantly, searching faces, watching movements, hoping—expecting—to see him again.
Dark hair.
That quiet expression.
That look.
She would know him instantly.
She had before.
Minutes passed.
Then more.
Still nothing.
---
By the time the sun started to dip lower in the sky, Aria had walked farther than she realized.
Shops lined the street now, quieter than the area near school. Fewer people. Slower movement.
She stopped for a second, exhaling as she tried to steady her breathing.
"This is stupid," she muttered.
What was she even doing?
Looking for someone she'd met in a dream?
Someone who appeared once, for a few seconds, and disappeared just as quickly?
It sounded ridiculous.
It was ridiculous.
And yet—
Her chest tightened anyway.
Because it didn't feel ridiculous.
It felt real.
Too real to ignore.
---
She turned a corner.
And froze.
There.
At the end of the street.
A figure.
Standing still.
Her heart jumped.
"Ethan…?"
The name left her lips before she could stop it.
The figure shifted slightly.
Turned.
Aria's breath caught.
Her feet moved instantly, her pulse racing as she started toward him.
Faster.
Closer.
"Ethan!" she called again.
This time louder.
The figure paused.
And for one brief, perfect second—
It felt exactly like yesterday.
Like she had found him again.
Like this time—
She wouldn't lose him.
---
Then someone stepped between them.
Just for a moment.
A passing stranger.
A small interruption.
But when they moved—
He was gone.
Again.
Aria stopped abruptly, her chest rising and falling as she looked around quickly.
"No—no, I just—he was right here—"
Her voice came out uneven.
Frustrated.
Desperate.
She turned in a slow circle.
Nothing.
No trace.
No direction.
No sign he had ever been there at all.
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"Why does this keep happening?" she whispered.
But deep down—
She already knew.
Because whatever this was…
It didn't follow normal rules.
---
By the time she got home, the frustration hadn't faded.
If anything, it had grown.
Aria dropped her bag harder than she meant to, pacing across her room as her thoughts spun.
"I saw him. Twice," she said aloud.
Not imagined.
Not dreamed.
Saw.
"So why can't I find him?"
The question echoed in the silence.
No answer.
Just like always.
---
That night, she didn't hesitate.
Didn't question.
Didn't even try to distract herself.
She needed answers.
And there was only one place she could get them.
---
The cold hit instantly.
Stronger than ever.
Aria's eyes opened, her breath sharp as she steadied herself.
The park.
But she didn't move.
Didn't look around.
"Ethan."
Her voice was firm this time.
Certain.
A second passed.
Then—
"I'm here."
She turned.
He was standing behind her again.
Closer than before.
Always closer now.
Aria didn't waste time.
"I saw you again," she said immediately. "Twice. And both times you just—disappeared."
Ethan exhaled slightly, like he had expected this.
"I know."
Her frustration flared. "Then explain it to me."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not supposed to happen."
"That's not an explanation," she snapped.
"It's the truth."
Aria shook her head, stepping closer. "No—the truth is that you're real. I saw you. So why can't I reach you?"
That made him pause.
Really pause.
His expression shifted slightly.
"You tried to find me," he said.
It wasn't a question.
Aria let out a small, disbelieving breath. "Obviously."
"You shouldn't have."
"Stop saying that," she said, her voice softer now—but more intense. "Stop telling me what I shouldn't do when you're the one showing up in my life like this."
Silence.
Then—
"You could get hurt."
Her chest tightened.
"By what, Ethan?"
He looked at her.
And for once—
He didn't look like he had all the answers.
"By something I don't fully understand yet," he admitted.
That caught her off guard.
"You don't know either?" she asked.
He shook his head slightly.
"Not everything."
That changed something.
Before, he had felt like he was hiding the truth.
Now—
It felt like he was stuck in it too.
Aria stepped closer again.
"No," she said quietly. "Then we figure it out."
Ethan's brows pulled together slightly. "Aria—"
"No," she repeated, firmer this time. "You don't get to do this alone. Not if I'm already part of it."
A long pause.
Then—
"You already are," he said.
Her heart skipped.
The way he said it—
It wasn't resistance anymore.
It was acceptance.
---
Without thinking, Aria reached for his hand again.
And like before—
Everything stilled.
The air.
The tension.
The distance between them.
Ethan looked down at their hands, then back at her.
"You keep doing that," he said softly.
"Because it works."
"For now."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"Then we use it while we can."
He let out a quiet breath.
But he didn't pull away.
Not this time.
---
"I tried to find you," she said again, quieter now.
"I know."
"I almost did."
"I know."
Her chest tightened. "Then why didn't you stay?"
This time—
He answered.
"Because I didn't know if you'd be able to see me again," he said. "And if you couldn't…"
He didn't finish.
He didn't need to.
It would have hurt more.
Aria swallowed.
"So you left first."
A small pause.
Then—
"Yes."
That stung more than she expected.
But she understood it.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
---
The streetlight flickered again.
Both of them noticed.
But neither of them moved.
Not yet.
"We're running out of time again," Ethan said quietly.
Aria nodded.
But her eyes stayed on him.
"Then next time," she said, "don't disappear."
He hesitated.
"Aria—"
"Next time," she repeated.
A long silence.
Then—
"…I'll try."
It wasn't a promise.
But it was enough.
---
When the world finally began to break again, they were still standing there—
Still holding on.
---
Aria woke slowly, her chest rising and falling as she stared at the ceiling.
Her mind wasn't racing this time.
It was focused.
Clear.
Determined.
She sat up, her fingers curling slightly as she thought about everything that had happened.
"I'm going to find you," she whispered.
Not a question.
Not a hope.
A decision.
And this time—
She meant it.