WHEN OUR EYES MEET

A few days later, I found myself alone in the bookstore, enjoying the quiet peace of my refuge. When the door opened, the bell above it echoed, and as I looked up, I saw Blake standing there, nervous, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and apprehension. We stared at each other in silence, as if each of us were waiting for the other to take the first step.

Blake took a step forward and took a deep breath.

—"I didn't want to come here without knowing if you were ready to see me, but..." He hesitated, glancing away for a moment. —"I had to. I had to know that you were okay."

Allie felt her heart race, reliving emotions and memories she had tried to keep buried.

—"Blake, I... thank you for being there, for not giving up on me at the hospital. Josh told me you..." she paused, the words slipping away in the heat of the moment. —"I didn't know."

He shrugged with a shy smile.

—"I couldn't stay away. As much as I tried to forget you, Allie, every part of me has always been yours. At the hospital, it was the only place I could be... close to you, without having to hide how I feel."

Her eyes filled with tears at his words. There was so much they still needed to work out, so many words left unsaid.

—"Blake, I know I made mistakes. I ran when I should have stayed..." She swallowed hard, feeling the guilt wash over her. —"But I was trying to understand who I was without you."

Blake stepped closer, hesitant, until they were just a few steps apart. He looked at her intensely.

—"Maybe that's what we need to figure out together. I still love you, Allie. And there's nothing that can change that." He lowered his head, as if trying to shield himself from the vulnerability he was revealing.— "But if you want me to leave, I will. I just needed you to know."

Those words tore down any remaining barrier between them.

—"I don't want you to go," Allie confessed, her voice trembling. —"Not this time. Not now."

They stood there in silence, but the weight of all the emotions, the love and memories, filled every inch between them.

The silence that followed was filled with a palpable energy. I didn't know what to do next, but whatever happened, I didn't want to run away anymore.

Then, suddenly, my brother Oliver entered the bookstore, breaking the intensity of the moment. He looked at us with a confused, excited expression, holding a new book in his hands.

—"What's going on here? You two look like you just walked out of a romantic movie!"

The tension dissolved, and I couldn't help but laugh. What was this tense moment if not the perfect setting for a movie? Reality pulled me back, and Blake also smiled, looking at Oliver with warmth.

—"We were just talking, little one. But you just walked in and broke the mood," I said, winking at Oliver.

—"Sorry, but I have to show Allie this amazing book I found!" Oliver said excitedly. He pulled me by the arm, moving me away from Blake, but not before I managed one last look at him, full of unspoken promises.

After an intense day, as I helped Oliver choose a few more books, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between Blake and me. His words echoed in my mind. The love was still there, but how could I rebuild what had been broken? It was clear that, together, we would have to face the past and whatever lay ahead.

In the end, I wasn't alone. Life, with its twists and turns, had brought wonderful people around me. And with an open heart and the courage to face my fears, I was ready to find out what the future held for me and Blake. And, who knows, maybe this new phase could lead us to an ending I had never dared to dream.