The fog lifted slowly, curling like breath on a winter's window, dissolving into threads of light as the darkness peeled away from her vision.
Liora floated in a place both familiar and not. And when her feet touched the ground again, it was not her body that moved first, but Aeris's.
She was looking at her like a bystander.
A hallway stretched out in front of her. The scent of natural tea hung faintly in the air. Her steps were light, but not cautious. The sun filtering through the windows dappled the floor tiles in gold.
And then, there he was.
Xu Kai sat at her desk, already waiting. His head was slightly lowered, fingers flipping through her open notebook. And the way the sunlight caught on the curve of his neck made Aeris and Liora pause for a breath. Both of them were mesmerized with the scene.
Aeris smiled, without even thinking. "You're early," she said, her voice bright as always.
He didn't lift his gaze. "You told me to come whenever, so I did."
