Chapter 16 : A Part of Me

The garden stretched around us, quiet and endless, but all I could see was you. The way you sat among the roses, the way the wind played with your hair, as if even the world couldn't help but reach for you. You belonged here, in the space where beauty and silence intertwined, where love wasn't just spoken but felt.

I moved closer, watching as you twirled the blue rose between your fingers, lost in thought. "You keep looking at me like that," you murmured, not meeting my gaze, "like I'm something unreal."

I tilted my head. "Maybe you are."

You let out a soft laugh, shaking your head. "I'm real," you whispered. "Too real sometimes."

I reached out, tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. "Then why does it feel like if I blink, you'll disappear?"

You finally looked at me, something unreadable in your eyes. "Because you see me differently than anyone else ever has."

I swallowed, my heart tightening at the weight of your words. "Because you're a part of me now."

The wind carried our silence, wrapping us in something deeper than words. You exhaled slowly, as if breathing me in, as if understanding exactly what I meant.

And then, without a word, you leaned in, pressing the blue rose against my chest, right over my heart. "Then don't ever let me go."

I covered your hand with mine, holding the rose in place, holding you in place. "Never."