Aria didn't wait for coincidence anymore.
By the next day, she had a plan.
Not a perfect one—but better than wandering around hoping to see him again.
If Ethan appeared near her school twice, then that meant something. It wasn't random. It couldn't be.
So she stayed.
After classes ended, instead of leaving with everyone else, Aria lingered. She pretended to check her phone, to fix her bag, to wait for no one in particular.
But her eyes—
They watched everything.
Minutes passed.
Students thinned out. The noise faded. The energy of the place shifted from busy to quiet.
Still nothing.
Her chest tightened.
"Come on…" she whispered.
---
Ten more minutes.
Then—
Movement.
Across the street.
Aria's breath caught instantly.
There.
Standing near the same spot.
Still.
Familiar.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
She crossed carefully—but quickly, her eyes locked on him like if she blinked, he'd disappear again.
"Don't go," she said under her breath.
Step.
Step.
Closer.
Closer—
"Ethan."
The name left her lips, softer this time.
Not a call.
A certainty.
He didn't disappear.
He didn't turn away.
He didn't vanish like before.
He stayed.
And slowly—
He turned.
Aria's breath hitched.
It was him.
Exactly him.
Not blurred. Not distant.
Real.
Standing right in front of her.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Didn't speak.
Just… looked.
Like they were both trying to confirm the same thing.
"You're real," she said softly.
Ethan stared at her, his expression unreadable—but not distant.
Confused.
A little lost.
"…Do I know you?" he asked.
The words hit like a sudden drop.
Aria froze.
"What?"
His brows pulled together slightly, like he was trying to place her. "You said my name."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"You don't—" her voice faltered, then steadied. "You don't remember me?"
Ethan hesitated.
Then slowly—
He shook his head.
"No."
---
It felt like something cracked inside her.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… quiet and sharp.
"That's not possible," she said.
Her voice sounded distant—even to herself.
"You talk to me," she continued, stepping closer. "Every night. In the park. You know me."
Ethan's expression shifted slightly—something flickering behind his eyes.
Confusion.
Maybe recognition.
But it slipped away too quickly.
"I think you've got the wrong person," he said gently.
Wrong.
Person.
Aria shook her head immediately. "No. No, I don't. It's you."
Her heart was racing now.
"This isn't—this isn't a mistake."
Ethan studied her more closely this time.
Really looking.
And for a second—
Just a second—
Something changed.
His expression softened.
Like something deep inside him reacted.
"…Aria?" he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
"Yes."
Hope rushed in so fast it almost hurt.
"Yes, that's—yes."
But just as quickly—
It faded.
Ethan blinked, like the moment had slipped through his fingers.
"I…" he frowned slightly. "I don't know why I said that."
The hope dropped just as fast.
Aria swallowed.
Something was wrong.
Really wrong.
"You do know me," she insisted, softer now. "You just… can't remember."
Ethan stepped back slightly, unsettled now.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I really don't—"
"Do you dream?" she asked suddenly.
He paused.
"What?"
"At night," she said, her voice urgent now. "Do you ever dream about a park? Streetlights? Someone talking to you?"
Ethan hesitated.
And that hesitation—
Said everything.
"…Sometimes," he admitted.
Her heart jumped.
"Me?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"…I don't see faces clearly," he said. "It's just… a feeling."
Aria's chest tightened.
So he was there.
Just not… fully.
"Ethan," she said, stepping closer again. "Tonight. Just—sleep. And come back."
His brows pulled together. "Come back where?"
"The park."
He stared at her like she sounded crazy.
But something in his expression said he didn't fully believe that.
"…Okay," he said slowly.
Not convinced.
But not dismissing her either.
Aria nodded once.
"That's enough."
For now.
---
That night, her heart wouldn't calm down.
Not from fear.
From anticipation.
From hope.
From everything in between.
"Please," she whispered as she closed her eyes.
"Remember."
---
The cold came instantly.
Stronger.
Sharper.
Like something had shifted again.
Aria's eyes opened fast.
The park.
But something felt… different.
Brighter.
Clearer.
Her pulse quickened.
"Ethan?"
A second passed.
Then—
"I'm here."
She turned.
And there he was.
Standing exactly where she expected.
But this time—
There was no confusion in his eyes.
No distance.
Just recognition.
Relief.
"You remember," she said, breathless.
Ethan let out a quiet breath, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah… I do."
Her chest lifted with it.
"All of it?"
He nodded slowly. "You. This place. Everything."
Aria didn't think.
Didn't hesitate.
She closed the distance between them in seconds—
And wrapped her arms around him.
For a moment, he froze.
Then—
He held her back.
Tight.
Real.
Like he had been missing this too.
"I thought I lost you," she said against him.
"You didn't," he replied softly.
"I found you today."
"I know."
She pulled back slightly, searching his face. "Then why couldn't you remember me?"
His expression shifted.
"It's like… this place holds everything together," he said. "Out there, it slips."
Her chest tightened. "Then we fix it."
Ethan looked at her like he wanted to believe that.
But wasn't sure.
---
The streetlight flickered.
Once.
A warning.
Aria exhaled softly. "Of course."
Ethan let out a quiet laugh. "We really don't get much time, do we?"
"No," she said.
Then, softer—
"So don't waste it."
He stilled slightly at that.
The air between them shifted.
Closer.
Quieter.
More intense.
Aria's heart started beating faster.
Not from fear this time.
From something else.
Something that had been building since the first night.
"You felt it too, right?" she asked.
Ethan didn't pretend not to understand.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
That was all it took.
Aria stepped closer again.
Slow this time.
Intentional.
Her eyes stayed on his.
And his didn't look away.
Not this time.
"Then stop acting like we don't have it," she whispered.
Ethan exhaled softly, like he was giving in to something he had been holding back.
"Aria…"
But he didn't stop her.
And she didn't stop.
Until there was no space left between them.
And then—
She kissed him.
It wasn't hesitant.
Wasn't unsure.
It was everything that had been building—every moment, every look, every almost.
Real.
Warm.
Certain.
For a second, Ethan didn't move.
Then—
He kissed her back.
Just as deeply.
Like he had been waiting too.
The world around them stilled again.
Completely.
No flickering.
No wind.
Just them.
And that moment.
---
But nothing stayed.
The light shattered again.
The air cracked.
Reality pulling them apart.
Aria pulled back slightly, breath unsteady.
"Don't forget me," she said.
Ethan's hand tightened around hers.
"I won't."
The world broke.
---
Aria woke with her heart racing.
Her hand pressed lightly against her lips.
Still warm.
Still real.
But her chest tightened again.
Because one thought wouldn't leave her mind—
If he forgets again…
How many times could they start over?