The Space Between Now and Forever

Sunlight crept through the cabin windows, bathing the room in gold. Elena stirred first, blinking up at the wooden ceiling, her head resting against Aidan's shoulder. For the first time in months, she wasn't waking up to an alarm, an email, or a heartbreak—but to silence and warmth.

Aidan was already awake, watching her like she was a memory he was afraid would disappear again. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied, voice still husky with sleep. "Was last night… real?"

His smile answered before his words did. "If it wasn't, I don't want to wake up."

They stayed there for a while, tangled in peace and disbelief, before Elena finally pulled away with a sigh. "We can't stay here forever."

"No," he agreed. "But we don't have to go back to being strangers either."

Reality buzzed back into focus like a cruel reminder. Her phone vibrated—calls from recruiters, texts from her sister, unread emails with promises and deadlines. "My job interview is in two days. Back in Chicago."

Aidan nodded. "And I have the art residency in Florence starting next month."

The silence that followed wasn't bitter. It was thoughtful. Heavy with what-ifs and almosts.

"I don't want us to fall apart again," she said, voice cracking. "Not when we just found our way back."

"Then let's not," he said. "Let's figure it out. I can delay Florence for a few weeks."

"And I can do the interview, but I don't have to accept anything right away."

There it was: compromise. The invisible string pulling them closer, not tighter.

They spent the rest of the day walking around the small town near the lake. Elena laughed at how the townspeople still recognized Aidan as "the artist with sad eyes," and Aidan teased her about how she couldn't go ten minutes without checking her phone.

It was simple. Easy. Almost foreign to them both.

But as night fell again, they sat under the stars, hands entwined.

"I love you," she said first.

"I know," he smiled. "I never stopped."