Chapter 35
Chapter 35 (Eleanor’s POV)
The night was colder than usual.
I curled deeper under my blanket, trying to find warmth.
The window rattled softly against the wind outside, and the hum of the heater filled the silence of my room.
I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep.
But my mind was too full.
The folder hidden under my mattress.
The fake smiles at school.
The feeling that every shadow held a threat.
I squeezed my eyes tighter.
Just for one night, I wanted to forget.
Forget the danger.
Forget the fear.
Just for a little while.
---
At first, sleep was slow to come.
I tossed and turned, my body restless, my heart racing even though I wasn't moving.
But finally, somewhere between exhaustion and dreams, I slipped under.
And that's when I saw him.
---
Alex.
---
He stood in the middle of a sunlit field.
The grass around him was tall and golden, swaying gently in the warm breeze.
The sky was so blue it almost hurt to look at.
He was wearing a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, looking more real, more alive than he ever had in any of my dreams before.
His green eyes locked onto mine the moment I appeared.
And he smiled.
That smile — soft, familiar, a little shy like he couldn’t believe I was really there.
My heart clenched painfully.
---
I walked toward him slowly, afraid that if I moved too fast, he would vanish.
But he stayed.
Waiting.
Hands tucked into his pockets, his hair ruffling in the wind.
When I was close enough, he reached out, hesitating for just a second like he was making sure I was real too.
Then his hand found mine.
Warm.
Solid.
Real.
---
"You came," he said, his voice rough and filled with something that made my throat tighten.
"I always would," I whispered.
He pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me.
I melted into him without thinking.
His scent surrounded me — clean, fresh, like rain on pavement and soap.
His heartbeat thudded steadily under my cheek.
I clung to him, burying my face against his chest.
Like if I let go, I would lose him again.
---
"I missed you," I breathed.
His arms tightened around me.
"I missed you too, Nell."
My name on his lips felt like coming home.
Like finding the part of myself I didn’t even know was missing.
---
We stayed there for what felt like forever.
Just holding each other.
The world around us fading away until there was nothing left but him and me.
No danger.
No lies.
No lost memories.
Just us.
Just love.
---
He pulled back slightly to look at me.
His fingers brushed against my cheek, wiping away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen.
"You’re stronger than you think," he said softly.
I shook my head.
"I’m scared."
"I know."
He smiled again, small and tender.
"But you're not alone. Not really."
---
I reached up, touching his face gently.
Tracing the lines of his jaw.
Memorizing him.
Afraid this would be the last time.
---
"You’re real, right?" I whispered.
His eyes darkened with something I couldn't name.
"Always."
He leaned down, brushing his forehead against mine.
Our breaths mingled.
Our hearts beat in rhythm.
So close.
So right.
---
"I’ll find you," I promised, my voice breaking.
"I know," he whispered back.
"I’ll wait."
---
The world around us began to fade.
The colors bleeding away.
The warmth slipping through my fingers like smoke.
I tried to hold on.
Tried to stay.
But it was too late.
---
I woke up gasping.
---
Tears soaked my pillow.
My body shook with silent sobs.
The loss was so raw, so deep, it physically hurt.
I pressed my hands against my chest, trying to hold the broken pieces together.
I had lost him all over again.
And yet...
The feeling of him lingered.
Warmth still clung to my skin.
The echo of his voice still hummed in my ears.
"You’re not alone."
---
I sat up slowly, wiping my face with the sleeve of my hoodie.
The room was dark except for the faint glow of my nightlight.
I wrapped my arms around my knees, rocking slightly.
Trying to breathe.
Trying to hold onto the dream before it slipped away completely.
---
Somewhere out there, Alex was breathing the same air.
Somewhere out there, he was waiting.
Just like he promised.
And I would find him.
I had to.
Because love like this — the kind that burned through dreams, through memories, through everything — wasn’t something you gave up on.
Not ever.
---
Far across the city, in a world I couldn’t reach yet, Alex stirred in his sleep.
---
(Alex’s Mini-POV)
Alex turned in bed, restless.
A name brushed through his mind — soft, urgent.
Nell.
He didn’t know who she was.
He didn’t know why his chest hurt so badly.
Why his heart ached like something precious had been torn away.
He sat up slowly, staring into the darkness.
Feeling the loneliness wrap around him like a second skin.
Feeling the pull of something — someone — he couldn’t remember.
But he felt her.
Somewhere deep inside.
Calling him home.
---
(Back to Nell’s POV)
---
I wiped my face again and stood up on shaky legs.
Tonight changed everything.
The files were important.
The danger was real.
But so was this.
So was love.
So was Alex.
---
I wasn't just fighting to survive anymore.
I was fighting to find him.
To remember us.
To piece back together what they tried so hard to erase.
---
I stood by the window, staring out into the endless night.
The city lights blinked in the distance.
The wind whispered against the glass.
And somewhere, under the same sky, he was waiting.
Maybe hurting too.
Maybe dreaming of me.
---
I pressed my hand against the cold windowpane, closing my eyes.
"I’m coming," I whispered into the dark.
No matter what it took.
No matter how lost we were.
I would find him.
Because some promises can’t be broken.
Some loves can’t be erased.
And ours was one of them.