The morning after their conversation felt different. Not lighter, not necessarily easier, but different. It was as though the air between Aria and Elias had shifted, not completely, but enough that she could sense it. There was a subtle weight now, a sort of anticipation that neither of them seemed willing to acknowledge outright.
Eli was at school, and it was just the two of them again, standing in the same space but no longer knowing exactly where to go from here.
Aria was still in the kitchen, stirring a cup of tea as if the action could somehow make everything make sense. Elias stood at the door, his hand resting lightly on the frame, watching her. It was as if he were waiting for her to tell him what to do next.
"Are we just going to stand here?" she asked finally, glancing at him over her shoulder.
Elias smiled faintly, his lips curving at the edges, but there was something behind it—something tentative. "I suppose so unless you have plans for me."
Aria let out a quiet laugh, setting the spoon down. She turned to face him, her heart picking up pace, unsure of the right words to say. "We need to talk, Elias. Talk this time."
Elias nodded, his expression serious now. "I'm listening."
He didn't approach her immediately. Instead, he stood where he was, keeping a respectful distance as if to give her the space she might need to say what she had been holding back for so long. She was grateful for it. It was exactly what she needed.
"I don't even know where to start," she admitted, her voice sounding smaller than she wanted it to. "For so long, I've been pretending like I could move on without actually moving on. Like if I just put up the walls, I could keep myself from feeling... anything. But I don't know if I can keep doing that anymore. I don't know if I can keep pretending that I'm okay."
Elias took a step forward, his gaze fixed on her, intense yet not intrusive. "You don't have to pretend with me. Not anymore. I know I've hurt you, and I'm not asking for forgiveness. But I am asking for a chance. A real chance."
Aria inhaled sharply, her hands tightening around the mug. She had expected this, but it didn't make it any easier to hear. "It's not about forgiveness, Elias. It's about... trust. I don't know if I can trust you again. And I don't know if I can trust myself to make the right decision when it comes to us."
"Then let's take it slow," he said softly. "No pressure. No expectations. Just... one step at a time."
Aria met his gaze, feeling the pull in her chest. There His eyes were sincere there was also something else—something that felt like an invitation to step into the unknown with him. But she wasn't sure she was ready to take that step. Not yet.
"Taking it slow sounds easy, but I don't know if it's enough," she said quietly, stepping away from the counter. "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel anymore, Elias. One day, I'm angry at you for everything that happened. The next, I'm thinking about the way you used to look at me like I mattered. And I don't know if I can let that part of me come back. The part that trusted you. The part that thought we could make it work."
Elias's expression softened, and he crossed the room to stand a little closer, his presence steady but not overwhelming. "I don't want you to lose that part of yourself, Aria. I'm not asking you to forget or to go back to how things were. I'm asking for a chance to rebuild. Slowly, carefully, the way it should have been in the first place."
"Do you think we can do that?" she asked, her voice low and uncertain. "Can we rebuild what we lost? Because it feels like... it feels like we've changed too much. Like I've changed too much."
Elias hesitated, his eyes searching hers. "I think change is inevitable. It's the only thing we can count on. But I also think that some things—some connections—are worth fighting for. And I'm willing to fight for this, Aria. For us. For you and me."
Aria swallowed hard, her heart beating faster. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this, but in that moment, she realized something. She wasn't afraid of what might happen if they tried again. She was afraid of what might happen if they didn't.
"I'm scared, Elias," she whispered, almost to herself. "I'm scared of failing again. Scared of getting hurt again. Scared of putting Eli through all of that again."
He stepped closer, his voice gentle. "I'm scared too. But we can't let fear control us. We can't keep running from what's right in front of us. We owe it to ourselves, and to Eli, to at least try."
Aria looked at him, really looked at him for the first time in a long while. She didn't know if she could trust him again. She didn't know if she could trust herself. But there was something there. A small flicker of hope. A small flicker of something that hadn't completely burned out yet.
"I don't want to keep pretending that I don't feel something for you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I can't just jump back in without knowing that we're doing this for the right reasons."
"We're doing it because we want to, Aria. Because we've always wanted to. Because we've both made mistakes, but we've also learned. We're not the same people we were when we started, but maybe... maybe that's a good thing."
Aria felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she didn't try to wipe it away. It had been so long since she'd allowed herself to feel anything that raw. So long since she'd let herself grieve for everything they had lost, everything they had fought for, and everything they still had left to fight for.
"I don't know where this is going to take us," she whispered. "But I'm willing to find out. With you."
Elias reached out slowly, gently, as if afraid that any sudden move might shatter the fragile moment between them. He cupped her face in his hands, his thumb brushing away her tears.
"We'll take it one day at a time," he said softly. "Together."
Aria closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel so lost. She didn't feel so alone. And for the first time, she allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could rebuild what they had broken.
The rest of the day passed in a haze. There was no immediate rush to move forward, but there was a sense of relief that they had finally crossed that bridge. They had said the things they needed to say, and now they had room to breathe.
Later that evening, when Eli came home from school, he found his parents sitting together on the couch, talking quietly. He looked between them, his eyes searching their faces for clues.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice tentative.
Aria smiled at him, the first real smile in what felt like forever. "Yeah, buddy. Everything's okay."
Elias leaned down and ruffled Eli's hair. "Better than okay."
Eli grinned, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Good. Because Thunder needs his next adventure written!"
Aria and Elias exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't easy, but for the first time in a long time, it felt like they were heading in the right direction.
They didn't have all the answers, and they knew the road ahead wouldn't be without bumps. But for now, they had each other. And that was enough.