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She’s sitting across from me.

But at the back of my mind, one ugly thought refuses to leave me alone. Tomorrow, this could all be over. Tomorrow, reality will come knocking. She might return to the world she belongs to.

Her world.

The one filled with flashing cameras, designer gowns, and a life so different from mine that sometimes I wonder what the hell we’re even doing here.

I asked her to stay because the music came back.

That was my excuse.

But sitting here now, listening to her speak with that beautiful spark in her eyes, I know the truth.

The music wasn’t the only reason I wanted her to stay.

I wanted the extra days. The sound of her footsteps in my place. The chance to learn the things about her that nobody else gets to see.

I wanted…her.

I lift my eyes to hers and find that she’s already looking at me.

A slow smile tugs at my mouth.

Maybe I’m not the only one who’s been telling little lies.

Maybe, just maybe, she’s feeling this, too.

I might not know what she’s feeling.

But for now, she’s here with me. She’s smiling at me across a table full of half-forgotten food, and the rest of the world can wait a little longer.

So I let it.

Because if this is all I get, I want to remember every second.

And if I’m lucky enough to get more?

Well, fuck.

I think I’d spend the rest of my life finding reasons to keep her here.

Artemis

Dinner ends.

I’m still not entirely sure how. One moment, Stephen is telling me stories about his idol days, and the next, Mrs. Han has whisked away our dishes, leaving us alone with the comfortable silence neither of us seems eager to break.

Eventually, I stand. “I should go.”

Stephen’s smile fades a little. “Yeah…”

Then he gets up, too.

“I’ll walk you.”

“I know where my room is, Stephen.”

“I know.”