Herself

The air was cool that evening, the sky soft with clouds and the scent of roasted herbs drifting lazily from nearby cafés. Callum sat at the edge of the Noclan Restaurant, his fingers tapping nervously against the polished wooden table. His chest rose and fell unevenly. The quiet hum of jazz played in the background, but none of it reached his ears. His thoughts were consumed.

Boston leaned through the half-open car window parked outside. "Boss, did she say she was coming?"

Callum barely nodded. "Yes. In less than an hour. She said she'd be here."

"Alright then.." 

They walked in silence. Callum didn't speak, didn't blink more than needed. He walked like a man possessed, the thought of Liora…Iris…dragging his heart behind every step. When they reached the restaurant, Boston stayed outside.

"You sure you don't want me inside?" Boston asked.

"No. This one... I need to do alone."

Callum stepped into the restaurant. It was mostly empty, dimly lit, intimate. Candles flickered on each table, casting shadows on the walls. He chose a seat not facing the door. He couldn't afford to look eager, or desperate, though he felt both down to his bones.

He waited. Minutes passed. Then she walked in.

Iris. Or was it Liora?

She stepped in slowly, her eyes scanning the room. Her dress swayed gently with each step, brushing against her knees. Her hair was loose, falling in soft waves over her shoulders. There was a nervous tension in her movements, like she was both expecting and dreading something.

Callum felt his breath catch.

He raised his hand slightly. She saw him.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, the same flicker of recognition and irritation dancing in them as the day at Bloom's Botanical.

Still, she walked toward him.

Callum stood. Every second felt stretched, like time itself was holding its breath.

"Are you... Collins?" she asked, stopping a foot away from him. Her voice was steady but cautious. "You're the man who mistook me for someone else the other day."

"I'm not Collins," Callum said, his voice soft, emotional. "I'm Callum. Your fiancé."

She blinked.

He stepped closer. "Please... don't deny me again. Please. I know it's you."

He reached into his coat and brought out the worn photograph. The corners were frayed. The color faded. But the face in it was unmistakably hers.

He held it up gently. "If this isn't you, then I'm mad. But I'm not. This is you. You're Liora."

She looked at the photograph, something flickering in her eyes, recognition, fear, sorrow.

"Where... where did you get this?" she whispered.

Callum smiled faintly. "I took it. With my old camera. You were laughing that day. You had no idea I was even watching."

Silence fell between them.

He stepped closer. "You died fifteen years ago, Liora. At least, they said you did. But your body vanished. No trace; nothing. I never believed it. I searched for you. All these years. And now here you are in front of me."

Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her hands trembled slightly, then steadied.

"My name is Iris," she said.

"No. It's Liora. Please. Don't pretend. Look at me. Look at me the way you used to."

Iris hesitated. The ache in his voice reached her. The intensity in his eyes pulled at a part of her she had buried long ago.

She turned her face away. She had to resist. She couldn't afford this.

Her heart was slamming against her ribs. The familiar scent of him, fresh cedar and mint, rushed her memories back. His voice, the way he said her name.

Liora. She wanted to say it. To own it, but she couldn't.

Because in that very moment, she remembered the prophecy that turned her mother against her.

"Your daughter will surpass your beauty. Her light will outshine your magic. And the man who truly loves her will destroy you.

"If she grows past twenty-five, you will die. If she bears a child, she will become mortal again. And anyone who curses her, will be erased."

Liora was cursed the day she was born. A curse fueled by prophecy, jealousy and fear. 

Her mother, Morgana, a powerful woman blinded by prophecy and pride, ensured Liora would never age past twenty-five. Never know love, never have a child.

The curse had ruled her life. Until she vanished.

And now, Callum had found her.

But there was something different about him. Something that didn't yield to the curse. 

Could Callum be... immune? Why is he loving her amid the curse?

Still, it didn't matter. Her mother would find her. She would know that she is with a man again.

Her lips trembled. "You don't understand. I can't... I can't go back."

Callum stepped closer. "Then tell me why. Tell me what happened. Let me help."

His voice cracked. "I never stopped loving you. Not once. I lived half a life waiting to see you again."

Liora opened her mouth, but the words didn't come.

Her vision blurred. Her knees weakened. The room spun. Then everything went black.

She collapsed. Callum caught her just before she hit the ground. "Liora! Liora! Somebody help!"

Waiters rushed over. Boston dashed into the restaurant, eyes wide.

"What happened?!"

"She fainted. Call an ambulance! Now!"

Boston already had his phone out and dialed the number.

Callum knelt beside her, brushing her hair from her face. Her skin was pale. Her breathing was shallow.

"Hold on. Please... hold on."

The restaurant was now filled with the noise of panic. Chairs scraping, voices calling out.

In the distance, a siren wailed.

But Callum could only hear the silence in her. 

He held her hand tightly. Something in him screamed that this wasn't over. That what just happened was only the beginning. He said to himself, "I won't lose you the second time." 

Outside the restaurant, in the shadows, a figure watched. Her eyes cold. Her lips whispered a name. "Callum Jay..."

Then she vanished into the dark.