The excitement from the surprise trip still lingered in Mira's heart, but reality had a way of creeping in, no matter how much she tried to push it away. As much as she wanted to dive headfirst into their plans for Kyoto, there were things she couldn't ignore — things that made her question how easy it was for her to get lost in the sweetness of Jace's gestures.
It was early on a Saturday morning when the first signs of tension started to bubble up. Mira had just finished her shift at the local café, the usual weekend rush of customers keeping her busy. She had barely gotten through the door when her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Jace.
"Good morning, my love!" the message read. She smiled, letting the warmth of his words linger as she texted back.
"Morning! Just got off work. What are you up to?"
His reply was almost immediate.
"Same old, same old. Can't stop thinking about our trip. I'm so excited."
Mira grinned, typing out a quick response. "Me too! I can't wait to actually see Kyoto. I've always wanted to go."
But then, the conversation took a turn.
"So, I was talking to my cousin earlier, and he mentioned something." Jace's tone shifted slightly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. "I think it might be a good idea for us to take a break from talking so much."
Mira's heart skipped a beat. "A break? What do you mean?" She typed quickly, her mind racing.
"I don't mean anything bad. It's just… with school and everything else going on, I think it'd be good to focus on things outside of our relationship. It's not that I'm losing interest, just… I don't want us to get too caught up in each other, you know?"
Mira frowned, staring at the screen, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She had been busy too, but it never felt like she needed a "break" from him. If anything, she was looking forward to their conversations more and more each day.
"Jace… I don't know. I feel like we're really connecting. Why would we take a break now?"
There was a pause before he responded.
"I know, I know. It's just… I think it'd be healthy for us to focus on our own things, not just us as a couple. I don't want to come across like I'm pulling away, but I don't want to get too dependent on each other either."
Mira sat down on the couch, running her fingers through her hair as she tried to process his words. Was he pulling away? Did he think they were becoming too wrapped up in each other?
The thing was, she hadn't felt like they were dependent on each other at all. Their relationship had always felt balanced to her — they were still their own people, living their lives and supporting each other from a distance. Sure, they had spent a lot of time talking and planning their trip, but she didn't think that was anything to worry about.
"Jace, I get it. But… I don't want us to feel like we're drifting apart, especially when we're so excited for our trip. I don't know if I can just back off right now."
It was his turn to pause. Then the reply came:
"You're right. I guess I've been overthinking things. I didn't mean to worry you. I don't want to lose the connection we have either. Maybe we can just… take a little time to breathe, not a break, but not text every second, you know?"
Mira sighed, her shoulders relaxing slightly. It wasn't exactly the answer she was hoping for, but at least it wasn't a breakup text. She appreciated his honesty, but there was still something unsettling about the way he had phrased it.
"Okay, that sounds fair. Just don't shut me out, alright? I want us to stay close."
"I promise I won't shut you out. Let's just not rush things."
Mira nodded, even though he couldn't see her. She understood what he was saying, but it still felt like something was being left unsaid.
As she put her phone down and sank into the couch, her mind wandered. Was this the beginning of something that was starting to feel like it could be too much for either of them? Was this the first crack in the perfect image they'd been painting?
She didn't know, but she hoped it wasn't.
Later that day, Jace called. He sounded lighter, like the conversation earlier had cleared some of the air between them. They talked for an hour, discussing everything from random school events to what they'd do in Kyoto. The easy banter was back, and Mira found herself laughing again, her earlier worries fading into the background.
"You know," Jace said playfully, "I'm still going to be the best tour guide ever. I can't wait to show you the city."
"You better be, because I'm going to need someone to help me navigate all those temples."
They spent the rest of the evening chatting about what they wanted to do in Kyoto, their excitement returning as they talked through their travel plans. The tension from the earlier conversation had slipped away, and Mira felt hopeful again.
But as she laid her phone down and prepared for bed, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted — just a little. She couldn't help but wonder: was this just the beginning of something bigger?