CHAPTER 23: The Moment

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Chapter 23: The Moment

Daisy

The sky was grey but gentle. She wore her favorite sweater—Calvin's, really, but it had become hers.

They sat at the botanical gardens, where everything was green and quiet. Calvin had packed sandwiches. Daisy had brought two worn books.

He reached over, brushing something from her cheek. "You always carry the world on your face."

She smiled. "I've learned to share it with you."

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Calvin

She leaned against his shoulder, her breath warm against his neck. The clock on his phone ticked forward, silent and invisible. He knew the taxi would come in twenty minutes.

"Are we okay?" he asked softly.

"We're not a location," she said. "We're not a schedule. We're… us."

He kissed her forehead. "Then I'll find you. No matter the miles."

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Shared

They didn't cry. They didn't speak more than they needed to.

Instead, Daisy placed a folded piece of paper in Calvin's palm.

"Don't open it yet," she said. "Wait until Berlin."

He nodded, slipping it into his coat.

And when they hugged, it wasn't tight or desperate.

It was certain.

A moment that held everything.

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