Chapter Seven
The evening air hit my skin like a cold whisper, and my heart was already hammering before I even set foot on the street. I had spent too long inside, tangled with my father's unexpected visit. Since his separation from Nova, he came only occasionally, but tonight he had left me with a stack of urgent assignments. "These need to be done tonight," he had said, voice gentle but firm. I promised I would finish them quickly, thinking I could complete everything before stepping out. But time had a way of slipping past me, each page of notes and sketches keeping me longer than I expected. By the time I glanced at the clock, my chest twisted—I was already behind.
Nova lounged in her favorite chair when I went downstairs, radiant as ever. Her golden hair shimmered under the lamplight, and her eyes, sharp and calculating, held mine for a moment that stretched like a warning. She moved with the kind of ease that commanded attention, and every gesture felt deliberate, perfect, like she existed in a world I had yet to learn how to navigate.
"Where are you going?" Her voice was smooth, teasing, but that undertone that always made me feel measured and exposed was there.
I swallowed hard. "I'm… going to the library," I said quickly, hoping the lie sounded convincing. "I need to finish some sketches and notes for school."
Her lips curved slightly, the kind of smile that carried both charm and warning. "Be careful," she said. I nodded, heart racing, and slipped out the door. The streets stretched ahead, slick with the drizzle that had fallen earlier, reflecting the lamplight like molten gold. Shadows twisted and swayed across the walls, hiding corners I didn't dare look into. My scarf was clutched tight in my hands, and every step was a race against time, against my own hesitation.
I had imagined this moment countless times: reading the note, unfolding the scarf, stepping into the evening with a sense of mystery and possibility. The words echoed in my mind: "Tonight, we talk. Find me where the city meets the shadows." Now, running through the streets, I felt a knot of anticipation tangled with anxiety. I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen. Part of me—deep down—wished it had been the prince who sent it, but the rest of me was tangled, confused, trying to make sense of a situation I didn't fully understand.
The square appeared ahead, deserted and quiet. Streetlamps stretched their golden fingers across the wet cobblestones, and I sank onto a low stone wall, hugging the scarf to my chest. My chest tightened, a strange mixture of excitement and disappointment. Had I misread the note? The square felt cruel in its stillness, empty and almost mocking after the images I had built in my mind of someone waiting for me.
Then a voice broke through the quiet.
"Leah?"
I spun around, startled, and saw Kian stepping out of the shadows, his expression a mixture of surprise and curiosity. Hands shoved into his pockets, shoulders relaxed, yet there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
"What… what are you doing here?" I asked, trying to steady my voice.
"I… I was just clearing my head," he said softly, glancing around the empty square. "Didn't expect to see you here."
My stomach twisted. Everything—the timing, the scarf, the note, the empty square—seemed to point to him. It must be Kian. I didn't ask. I didn't need to. I just concluded it, though the thought left me feeling strange, uneasy.
"I… I thought maybe… maybe it was you," I said softly, trying to piece it all together.
Kian opened his mouth, probably to deny it, but I didn't wait. My thoughts tangled, part of me finding the situation bizarre, impossible, yet a tiny corner of my mind quietly wishing it had been the prince, though I couldn't fully admit it. Mostly, though, I just tried to make sense of it all.
We walked together, speaking lightly, our laughter spilling quietly into the night. The rain-slicked streets smelled faintly of damp earth and leaves, and shadows stretched and quivered as the lamplight shifted. My mind spun with the impossibility of it all—the scarf, the note, the empty square—and I tried to reconcile it.
A movement caught the corner of my eye, a flicker of shadow at the far edge of the square, a presence that seemed just out of reach. My thoughts briefly spun—was someone waiting there? But Kian's presence beside me, warm and familiar, pulled my attention back. The strange tangle of hope and confusion remained, pressing in on me with every step.
Time passed faster than I realized. The empty square, the scarf, the note—all pressed on me like a puzzle I couldn't solve. Soon, I realized I had lingered too long. I had to get home. Every step felt urgent; I was already late, and Nova mustn't know where I had really been.
I tried the window first, thinking I could slip in unnoticed. The frame was too high, the latch stubborn. My hands scraped against the wood, and I cursed softly under my breath. No, I can't make noise.
Finally, I tried the front door, pressing myself against the wall. Hands fumbling with the lock, every click amplified in my chest like a drumbeat. The house was silent, drawing room dark—but I could feel Nova's presence, as if she were waiting for me to make a mistake.
The door creaked open, and I slipped inside, heart hammering, steps careful and slow, imagining myself a thief in the dark.
And then—
"Leah."
My heart froze.
Nova stood at the top of the stairs, silhouette sharp in the dim light. Her eyes fixed on me, a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and something colder I couldn't yet name. My chest tightened, legs rooted to the floor. I had been caught.
Everything—the scarf, the gift, the note, the late-night adventure, my lingering with Kian, the empty square, and the shadows that had seemed to shift as if someone had been waiting—hung in the air, suspended in that single, electric moment.
I swallowed hard, trying to think of an excuse, any excuse, but the words stuck in my throat. My thoughts spun, chaos colliding with the lingering confusion of the evening. Who had sent the gift? Who had truly waited? And why had everything felt so impossible to untangle?