[Same Moment - Meeting Point - Ella's Perspective]
Two weeks. Just fourteen days. But in those fourteen days, it felt as though an entire season had changed. Everything around me, everyone, was transforming at a dizzying pace. Even Cassius and Gaius's jokes seemed more settled, Marcus's smile more genuine. But the biggest change was in Octavian. His shoulders stood straighter, the constant alertness in his eyes had given way to calm confidence. It was as if a storm inside him had finally calmed.
Perhaps I hadn't undergone as visible a transformation as his, but I was changing too. The voice of those old fears whispering in my mind had faded to a murmur. My thoughts were becoming clearer. In the past, when I heard that Octavian hadn't invited me to the study group, I would have dwelled on it for days, feeling inadequate. When I first heard it, a small pang had pierced my heart, yes, but when he spoke with me in the back garden, when I saw that genuine concern in his eyes, I understood that this wasn't a step taken to hurt me, but quite the opposite - to protect me. He had thought of my wellbeing. This understanding was a luxury the old Ella could never have possessed.
During this process, Lunaria's calculated behavior and Felissia's timid, almost pleading looks in the corridors troubled me. I worried about Lunaria, and felt an indescribable pity for Felissia. Everyone was fighting their own battles, but it seemed we were slowly learning to hold onto each other.
When he asked "Shall we meet to buy books?" as we parted yesterday, I felt as if hundreds of butterflies had suddenly taken flight in my stomach. I was so happy all night that I tossed and turned in bed, struggling to fall asleep. I had even talked to my sister to understand what this feeling was. "Are you falling in love?" she had asked, laughing. I didn't know. Whether it was called romance or love, I wasn't sure. But I knew one thing: this was a pure feeling from my heart, too genuine to fit into labels.
As soon as I woke up in the morning, I went to my closet. I tried on my most beautiful clothes one by one. I wanted to be worthy of him. Not just in appearance, but mentally too. Strong like him, determined like him...
I thought about our conversation today. How soothing his voice was. That funny sentence he constructed to suppress his excitement... "Voice communication has a higher data transfer rate than text-based communication." I had smiled at this strange, technical but equally endearing excuse. After hanging up the phone, my heart was beating as if it would leap out of my chest. Knowing that he was excited too, not just me, made me even happier.
Finally, after deciding and putting on my favorite dress, I left the house. During the bus journey, while watching outside through the window, the only thing I thought about was him. When I arrived at our meeting point, I noticed the time; there was still half an hour left. But the thought of making him wait even a second bothered me. I didn't want to wander around and miss him. While looking for the most suitable place to wait without moving, my eyes caught on someone on the opposite sidewalk.
His back was turned to me. A dark green shirt with geometric patterns, black pants. Even his posture radiated an air of confidence. His hair, probably thanks to wax, was perfectly neat. His physique reminded me of Octavian, but this calm confidence... this was new. Could it be him? With my heart pounding against my ribcage, I felt my steps pulling me toward him. Just as I approached, as if he had sensed my presence, he slowly turned around.
And at that moment, time stopped.
We made eye contact. That familiar sparkle in his eyes was there, but now it carried something else with it: peace. The genuine smile that spread across his face when he saw me wasn't just a greeting. It was as if he had seen a view he had been waiting for weeks to see. I felt the same expression settle on my face. My tongue was tied with excitement, words knotted in my throat. All I could do was wave foolishly.
He responded the same way and quickened his steps to close the distance between us. At that moment I understood that it wasn't just he who had changed. This new version of him was clearing away the wreckage inside me piece by piece. My soul, crushed under that wreckage for years, breathed for the first time.
[Same Moment - Meeting Point]
When I looked at my watch, I saw there were still forty minutes until our meeting time. Normally, arriving this early would have been a strategy for me; an opportunity to analyze the environment, calculate possible scenarios. But this time was different. I simply hadn't wanted to keep her waiting, that was all. Me, who weighed every step, every word, forgot all my equations when it came to this girl. With her, everything became spontaneous, unplanned, and... natural. This feeling was both frightening and incredibly liberating.
Until now, I had always found Ella sweet, warm, and sincere. But sitting on the bench waiting for her to come, different details came to mind for the first time. Those jet-black, shiny hair cascading over her shoulders. The smooth, white skin that appeared when she laughed. Under her delicate eyebrows, those hazel eyes that brought peace to anyone who looked into them and those long eyelashes... Luna had tried to demean her by saying she was like a hamster. We couldn't respond to Luna at that moment, but thinking about it now, she was right. Her cheeks really did become adorably hamster-like when she ate. But this wasn't a flaw, it was a detail that made her incredibly charming. Ella clearly loved sweets. I should do something to make her happy.
My father's voice echoed in my mind: "The most elegant gift one can give to a lady is a single rose." But wouldn't that be too much? This couldn't even be considered a date, it was just a meeting. I might scare her, send the wrong message. Oh, why were these things so difficult? It was best to minimize the risk. I remembered that chocolate I bought from the vending machine the other day, which had created a huge smile on her face. Yes, this was a good idea.
I found the nearest vending machine and bought the chocolate, then went under a tree and started waiting. While the minutes dragged on endlessly, I felt someone's gaze on my neck. When I turned around, there she stood. Today... today she looked truly breathtaking. Words escaped my control.
"You look really beautiful today."
The moment the sentence slipped from my mouth, I felt my cheeks redden. She looked just as surprised but equally happy as I was. I extended my hand toward her.
"I bought this for you."
When I opened my palm, I froze in shock. The chocolate I had been gripping tightly in my hand for minutes had completely melted, both from the warmth of my hand and my excitement. I wanted to sink into the ground from embarrassment. I was just about to open my mouth to apologize when I heard Ella's sweet laughter.
"So you remembered that I like this too," she said, smiling. "Thank you."
I took a deep breath with the relief of that moment. We started walking toward the bookstore. We talked about school events, classes. When we entered the bookstore, it was as if we had entered our own world. While wandering among the shelves, we discovered that we both loved the same authors, the same genres. We talked excitedly about the books we picked up. We promised to exchange them after reading.
When we came out, evening was beginning to fall. "Have you eaten?" I asked.
"No," she said.
"Honestly, I've never eaten around here," I admitted. "Have you eaten here before?"
"I came with a friend once, but I didn't really like the food," she said, wrinkling her face.
With the first idea that came to mind, I asked, "Do you like pizza?" Her eyes lit up. When we understood that we both loved it, we walked toward the nearest pizzeria.
"Let's do this," I said while looking at the menu. "Let's order two different types, then we'll share half and half. Deal?"
She really liked this idea. While sharing our pizza slices, we talked about school, books, our dreams. We were laughing so much that I didn't even notice people around us looking at us.
When we left the pizzeria, I immediately noticed the tiny treats in the window of the shop next door. They were colorful jellies shaped like cats. With the idea that came to mind, I turned to Ella without thinking for even a moment.
"Will you come with me?" I said, extending my hand.
She looked at my hand for a moment, then at my face. With that excited curiosity in her eyes, she whispered, "Where?"
I took her hand and pulled her toward the candy shop. When we went inside and I bought one of those cat-shaped jellies, we both started laughing at the same time. We both loved cats very much. We left the shop and sat on a bench and shared that tiny, cute treat.
As the night was ending, we were walking toward the stop to take her home. With an impulse from within, I stopped and turned to her.
"Let's do this more often."
Ella raised her head and looked into my eyes with surprise, then I saw her cheeks flush slightly. She just nodded in agreement, but that small gesture and shy smile was the clearest "yes" I could have heard.
As the bus approached, she said in that soft voice of hers, "Good night Octavian, see you Monday." I didn't want her to leave. The day ending was making me sad.
"You too," I murmured. With an impulse I couldn't control, my hand reached toward her cheek. The moment my fingertip touched her skin, we both froze. As if caught in the magic of that moment, she closed her eyes and gently leaned her face into my hand. The warmth in my palm spread throughout my body. When we both became embarrassed at the same time, I didn't know what to do. I slowly pulled my hand away and brought it to her hair, clumsily stroking her head. "See you," I said, turning around almost as if fleeing and walking away with quick steps.
Until I got home, my brain was working like an analysis machine. I was reliving every moment, every word, every touch over and over again. Abnormally high heart rate, sensation of warmth, temporary decline in logical thinking ability... The symptoms were clear.
My mother greeted me at the door. "How was your day, son?" she asked with that always affectionate smile. Normally I would have brushed it off, but this time I couldn't hold myself back and told her everything. She listened to me carefully, the smile on her face never fading. Finally, she said, "I hope someday you'll introduce me to that girl who allows you to be happy and completely yourself." I felt my cheeks catch fire and escaped to my room without saying anything. When I lay down on the bed, the only thing I thought about was wanting to do this more often. Then it hit me. Oh no, I had driving school lessons tomorrow!
The next day I devoted my brain completely to the lessons. I finished all the theoretical training in one day and passed the exam. The moment the lessons ended, the first thing that came to mind was to call her.
"How are you?" I asked as soon as she answered the phone. Just hearing her voice had calmed me. We talked about our days, she told me about drawing, and I told her about the funny moments at the course. Talking with her grounded me, simplified my complex thoughts.
Sunday was spent with my father at the Sacellum with lessons and worship. In the evening, while studying Livia and Flavia's lessons, I sat next to my sister. "Is there something on your mind lately?" she asked without raising her head from her book.
"No," I said. "Why did you ask?"
She smiled. "Actually, nothing. But can I warn you about something?" I waited curiously to hear what she would say. "You become very protective when it comes to people you love. When I ask you a question, you try to solve all the problems in my book. I know you want to help, but what if you only help as much as you're asked? Shouldn't you allow the person across from you to make mistakes too?"
At that moment I froze. "You're right," I whispered. I had done the same thing to Marcus. I had prevented him from making his own mistakes about Luna. Maybe he would get hurt, but was my control really necessary? Although a corner of my mind tried to defend what I had done, Marcella's words weighed more heavily. "Thank you," I said. "I now understand better why people sometimes need different perspectives."
I woke up to my mother's cheerful voice in the morning. She was talking to someone on the phone. "Yes, we're coming to Heroica during the break in a month! The children are also eager to see their uncle."
Heroica. My uncle. A week-long vacation. The wave of joy inside me swept away all my fatigue. I had to show him the new me, who I really was. With the energy this thought gave me, I jumped out of bed. I was impatient to go to school. A new week, new possibilities, and at the center of everything, those hazel eyes I would see again.