Chapter 11 - Where It All Began  

Bastian and Anastasia spent the next two days retracing their past, visiting places they once dreamed about together. The coffee shop where they'd waste hours debating ridiculous hypotheticals. The bookstore where Bastian would sit on the floor and dramatically recite poetry until the employees threatened to kick him out. It was all the same, yet different. And then the university they had planned to attend side by side.

When they reached the university, Anastasia hesitated before telling him the truth—he had already been there once before. Not as Bastian Webber, but as Warren Baxter. She watched his brows furrow as she recounted the surreal revelation: he had stood in the crowd at her graduation, unknowingly fulfilling their promise years ago. But then she mentioned the fall on the same night as the graduation. The night everything shattered.

Bastian went quiet, studying her like he could will the memories back himself. "Take me there," he said finally.

"No." It came out fast, firm.

He turned to her fully. "Ana—"

"No, Bastian," she repeated. "Last time we were there, you almost—"

"I know." His voice was softer now, but insistent. "But I need to remember more than just the worst night of my life. Please. I want to remember the good, too."

The sincerity in his voice broke her. Against her better judgment, she nodded. That night, when the world grew quiet and shadows stretched long under the city lights, they flew to the rooftop where everything had both begun and ended.

Landing felt like stepping into a memory frozen in time. The worn concrete, the rusted railing, even the distant hum of the city below—it was all the same. Bastian offered his hand, and she took it, just like before. Just like always. They sat on the edge, their legs dangling over the side, and the weight of the past settled between them.

"Why did you fall?" Bastian finally asked.

She inhaled sharply, her grip tightening on the edge. She had never fully told him—not anyone. But here, under the vast sky, she let herself break.

"I was drowning, Bastian." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I lost you, and I didn't know how to keep going. Every single day felt like a battle I was losing, and then everything crashed down on me. I was ashamed. Ashamed that I was weak. Ashamed that I even thought about giving up. That I almost left my family behind because I was too selfish to push through."

Tears slipped down her cheeks, but she didn't stop them. She was tired of locking everything away, of pretending she was nothing but a warrior. Because with Bastian, she wasn't just a fighter. She was Anastasia.

"I wished for you to save me," she admitted, her voice breaking. "I begged for you. And somehow...you did."

Bastian's breath hitched. A sharp pain sliced through his skull, but this time, it wasn't unbearable. It was vivid. Real. Images flooded his mind—Anastasia at fifteen, laughing as she shoved his shoulder; at seventeen, sitting right where she was now, watching the sunset; at eighteen, when he gave the bracelet; then at age twenty-two, broken and alone, waiting for something—someone—who never came. She had been wanting to see him again. And now she was here, sitting before him, stronger than ever.

She had never been more beautiful to him than in that moment.

His chest tightened. He had spent so long trying to reclaim his past, but now he realized—he didn't need memories to know what he felt. His heart knew. It had always known.

He moved closer, his fingers trembling as he reached for her hand. She froze, staring at the way his palm covered hers, and when her gaze lifted to meet his, something in the air shifted. Bastian leaned in, brushing his lips over hers.

The world disappeared.

It wasn't just a kiss—it was a claim. A silent promise remade. Her breath caught, her fingers gripping his shirt like he might vanish if she let go. He deepened the kiss, his hand moving to cup her cheek, thumb grazing her skin like he was memorizing her.

When he pulled away, he didn't apologize. He didn't second-guess. He just looked at her, at the woman who had been his from the very beginning, and said the words that stole her heart all over again.

"I'm in love with you."