Maria.
I took a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs slowly before releasing it just as carefully. My body felt heavy, weighed down by everything that had happened, everything I had been thinking about.
Without bothering to change or even settle properly, I tossed myself onto the bed, the soft mattress sinking slightly beneath my weight.
I needed a break.
Just a moment of peace.
I closed my eyes, trying to push everything out of my mind, the arguments, the tension, the confusion. All of it. I forced myself to imagine something else…something calm.
The night sky.
The stars.
I pictured myself standing beneath them, gazing up at their soft glow, letting the silence wrap around me like a shield.
A small smile found its way to my lips and for a moment, It worked.
But the moment I opened my eyes…It vanished completely.
A familiar scent hit me so suddenly, so strongly, that my breath caught in my throat. It wrapped around me, overwhelming, unmistakable.
My heart skipped.
