"If fate dares to test us, I will grow stronger to face it and i will take all the chances if it must. Until the day I finally understand, please don't let go of your hope…
because I will never let go of you."
Sera stepped out of the antique shop. The cool air, carrying the lingering touch of rain, clung to the street. The scent of wet earth mixed with the faint aroma of aged wood that drifted out from the shop behind her.
But her steps halted—suddenly, sharply.
In front of her, as if he had been waiting, or perhaps because the universe had carefully arranged it, stood Liam.
Her body froze, rooted to the spot. Their eyes met and locked in silence. No words were spoken, yet in that gaze spun a storm of unspoken questions, wounds that had never healed, and something warm and fragile that had always lingered between them.
Liam cleared his throat softly, trying to steady the tremor in his chest. He blinked, as if that small act could sever the invisible thread binding them, but it was useless. His breath grew heavy, like thousands of words were pushing to break free, only to dissolve into nothingness.
"Hi…" he said at last.
One simple word. Just a single syllable, though inside him lived countless sentences he had once prepared—about longing, about regret, about the reasons he had closed himself off all this time.
Sera's fingers tightened around the pendant in her hand. Only then did she realize she had been carrying it since leaving the shop. Her gaze flickered down at it for a brief second, then back to Liam. A strange pulse stirred in her chest, whispering that this meeting was no mere coincidence.
"Hi…" she replied softly, her voice barely above the hum of the busy street—yet enough to make Liam stand straighter.
Silence filled the space between them again. The street around them bustled with people passing by, the occasional roar of engines breaking through the evening air. And yet, strangely, the world seemed muted, as if it had faded into the background, leaving only the two of them.
Liam's eyes dropped to the pendant in Sera's hand, his brows knitting slightly. Recognition flickered there. His breath hitched, as though something long lost had just resurfaced.
Sera noticed his gaze and instinctively gripped the pendant tighter. Fear rippled through her at the thought of him asking about it—yet another part of her, the part she tried to ignore, wanted him to know.
"Why… are you here?" Liam asked at last, his voice hoarse, barely more than a whisper.
Sera stared at him for a moment, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn't know what to say.
Should she tell him about the antique shop? About the strange man inside who claimed the pendant belonged to her?
Or about the unsettling feeling that had been pressing against her chest ever since she first held the object?
Before she could answer, a cool breeze swept past, shaking loose droplets of rain that clung to the shop's roof. Sera tilted her head up briefly, then met Liam's gaze again.
"I… just happened to pass by and decided to stop in," Sera said at last, though even she wasn't certain if it had been mere coincidence—or fate.
Liam studied her for a long moment, as if trying to make sure the girl standing before him was real, not just an illusion born from his mind. His heart pounded hard, and for the first time in a long while, he felt he couldn't keep the words locked inside any longer.
"I…" He swallowed, struggling to find the right words. His eyes flickered to the pendant in Sera's hand before returning to her face.
"Could we… talk? Just for a moment?"
His tone was soft, almost pleading—less a request, more a fragile hope.
Sera remained silent, her fingers tightening around the pendant while her thoughts spun in chaos. She could refuse.
She could tell him she was busy, offer some simple excuse, and walk away.
But Liam's gaze held her still. That gaze… it hadn't changed. Warm. Deep. But shadowed by old wounds.
"What do you… what do you want to talk about?" Sera asked finally, her voice barely louder than a whisper. While her eyes, every so often, found their way to his and look away.
Liam exhaled slowly, as though releasing a burden he'd been carrying for far too long.
"About… anything. About me. About you. About… us. There's so much I need to explain to you."
Sera's chest tightened, warmth mingling with a painful throb at that last word—us.
It had been so long since she'd heard it spoken by Liam, and now, just that single word was enough to send her heart trembling.
The drizzle began again, soft drops falling from the gray sky. Liam glanced toward a small coffee shop at the end of the street, then back at Sera.
"We can take shelter there," he said gently. "Just for a while. After that… if you don't want to stay, I won't ask again and i will never bother you...please...."
His eyes dropped slightly, as though bracing himself for rejection.
Sera bit her lip, torn.
Part of her wanted to refuse, to keep her distance and protect herself from reopening old wounds. She could say no, or making some excuses to leave ,but another part—the softer, more fragile part—whispered that she wanted to know.
She wanted to hear what Liam had been holding back all this time.
The pendant in her hand seemed to grow heavier, as if urging her toward a single choice.
At last, Sera drew in a slow breath. With a litle hesitation she finally nod and agree.
"Allright, let's talk. Lead the way" she said quietly.
For a fleeting moment, she caught the faintest smile on Liam's face—fragile, but undeniably sincere.
And for that moment, it felt as though time between them had begun to move once more.