"I have to go back."
I said it softly, like if i whispered it enough, maybe it wouldn't sound so final.
Ken didn't speak right away. He just looked at me, and i swear i felt my throat close up. His eyes didn't flash with anger or disappointment.
Just… stillness.
The kind that comes when you're trying to process pain without showing it.
He sat on the edge of the bed.
I stood by the window, arms crossed, biting the inside of my cheek like it would stop my heart from breaking.
"I figured," he finally said.
I turned to him, surprised. "You did?"
Ken gave me a small smile, the kind that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You've been quieter lately. I knew something was pulling you back."
I walked over to him and sat beside him.
Our legs brushed, and I immediately folded into him, laying my head on his shoulder. He let me. He always did.
"They told me i have one week to decide," I murmured. "But i already did."
"You don't have to explain."
"But i want to," I said. "I miss it, Ken. Not the pretending. Not the press cons or the fake rumors. But the stage. The rehearsals. The dancing. The feeling of being… alive."
He nodded slowly.
"I get it," he said. "I really do."
I lifted my head and looked at him. "But i don't want to lose this. You."
"You won't."
I blinked. "How do you know?"
Ken leaned in. His forehead touched mine. "Because i'll fight for this. Even if the whole world thinks we're just neighbors."
A small laugh escaped me. "Neighbors with benefits?"
He snorted. "Wow. And here i was, trying to be romantic."
I giggled.
And for a moment, just a moment, it felt okay again.
Like we weren't saying goodbye to anything. Like the world outside the four walls of my apartment didn't exist.
I looked out the window. The sky was grey, thick with clouds. "I think it's going to rain."
Ken stood up and stretched. "Then let's get soaked."
I blinked. "What?"
"Come on," he grinned. "Let's make today count."
I didn't expect him to mean it literally.
Five minutes later, I was barefoot in my driveway, Ken tugging me by the wrist, raindrops just beginning to fall.
"Ken, this is so—"
"Unhinged? Yes."
"Romantic? No."
"Perfect? Absolutely."
And then the rain came.
Not the light kind.
The honest kind.
The kind that poured like it meant something.
We screamed.
I screamed, anyway. He just laughed.
I spun under the sky like a five-year-old. My hair clung to my face. My hoodie was useless. The cold bit at my arms, but i didn't care. I was laughing too hard.
Ken chased me around the small garden outside our building. I almost slipped. He caught me. We both fell, right into a puddle.
"Ow!"
"Smooth," he teased, brushing wet hair out of my eyes.
"You tripped me!"
"You ran like a penguin!"
We were both breathless. The rain kept falling. My heart felt too full.
And then he kissed me.
Not the careful kind. Not the quiet, hidden kind.
It was wild. Wet. Honest.
The kind that says, If this is our last day, I want to remember every second of it.
Later, we sat on the rooftop, wrapped in towels, our clothes drying on a makeshift clothesline he tied between two chairs.
We were silent for a while. Just watching the city breathe.
"You'll be famous again in a week," he said.
"Don't remind me."
He looked at me. "Are you scared?"
"Terrified."
He nodded. "Good."
I frowned. "Good?!"
He smiled. "Means it matters to you. If you weren't scared, I'd worry."
I leaned my head on his shoulder again.
"I wish this moment could last," I whispered.
Ken reached for my hand. "Then don't wish. Live it."
So i did.
I closed my eyes.
Breathed in the scent of rain on warm concrete. Listened to the sound of Ken humming a song i didn't know the name of.
Felt the pulse of something new, something real, something more than just a fling.
Even if no one else ever knew.
Even if tomorrow, I'd have to put on my glitter and heels and lie through another smile.
Today, this moment was mine.
Ours.
And that would have to be enough.