| Nicole's P.o.V. |

I opened my eyes to the sound of people and the rattling of train tracks. My eyes were damp. And—this was impossible—I was sitting on a train. Not in the bed where Aakn was supposed to have left me. Was it a dream? But it had felt so real…

I looked out of the train window. There was no rain. Instead, there were puddles and a misty, overcast sky.

Tears streamed down my face. And the realization hit me—whether it was reality or a dream, Aakn couldn’t be with me. I had wished for happiness, and he had given it to me. I leaned against the window; the cold glass felt unpleasant against my skin.

He had said that he had shown me and taken me to places he loved, even expressing surprise that I liked them all. But who wouldn’t love all that magic? Still, I think everything felt so perfect to me because he was my happiness, the piece that warmed my soul and gave me peace.

And—my teddy bear! I rummaged through my large bag, hoping to find it. Maybe—just maybe—it was with me. My bag contained everything: my card, a few paper bills, keys, and some documents. Digging a little further, I felt something soft and plush. I pulled it out—it was the very same teddy bear. Only now, it was made of soft plush fabric instead of clouds.

I had never owned a toy like this before, and I was sure I hadn't taken it from anyone else. It was exactly the same as the one Aakn had given me.

It was about the size of two palms. I pressed it against my chest. I will never lose it.

✨

More than two weeks had passed since Aakn was gone. My boss had shut down his fast-food restaurant due to a lack of profit. Perhaps it was for the best. Now, I worked at a large pastry shop close to my home, which meant I no longer had to take the train from one side of the city to the other.

At the moment, I was waiting for my coworker, Emily, to take the pastries out of the oven—ones she had burned. I met her as soon as I started working here. She was talkative, and somehow, we got along.

She was tall, slender, dark-skinned, with curly hair and green-siren eyes. And she talked a lot . Though, I won’t deny it—I liked that about her. She was a true extrovert, always thinking positively, unlike me.

But I think that ever since I found my teddy bear, I felt a sense of relief inside. And I believed that someday, I would meet Aakn again. He hadn’t appeared in my dreams these past few days. It was sad, but…

—"Are you just going to stand there staring into space?" Emily hissed as she quickly set a hot tray of burned pastries onto the table.

I rolled my eyes.—"I was literally fine, peacefully making coffee until you nearly burned down the shop. Because of you, all the customers left," I replied calmly, grabbing a knife to separate the cupcakes from the tray.

—Emily did the same. "Okay, but do you think if we cover them with icing, the customers won’t notice?"

I looked at her, then at the cupcakes. —"If you want us to get fired, go ahead," I said, placing a cupcake on the table. —"Let’s just turn them into crumbs to decorate the next batch of normal pastries."

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Emily looked at me as if I had just discovered America. —"You’re a genius!" she exclaimed, grabbing another tray to start crushing the burnt pastries.

—"What’s that awful smell?!" our middle-aged manager suddenly yelled.

Emily and I exchanged glances. She was about to start explaining, but I cut her off.

—"Sorry, I left the cupcakes in for too long, and they burned. But we’re fixing it now."

The man looked at me, irritated. —"The new head director came in today to check on our store, and he’s waiting for an explanation from me as to why there are no customers in this branch." He paused, looking at our shocked faces. —"Go to my office immediately—he’s there."

Emily clearly didn’t like the idea of me taking the blame for her mistake. She took off her apron and was about to step in before me, but I stopped her.

—"I have to take responsibility for my actions," I said in a firm yet persuasive tone.

She didn’t like it, but after sighing, she nodded in reluctant agreement.

I walked past the manager and knocked on the office door.

—"Come in."

That voice—it was deep, smooth, and familiar.

My heartbeat quickened. The pounding in my ears was louder than my knock on the door.

I entered, and he was there. Sitting right in front of me, doing something on his computer. But his eyes—his blue eyes—were now brown. He was dressed in a full dark-blue suit. He looked up at me with a frown.

A pang of pain shot through my chest. Even in my dreams, Aakn had never frowned at me or looked at me with irritation.

Maybe it wasn’t him? Maybe this was just a man who looked very much like him?

"So, you almost burned down one of my stores?" he asked in a stern tone.

I wanted to cry. He looked so much like my Star—my Aakn. But his demeanor… It probably wasn’t him.

I lowered my head. "I’m sorry. It won’t happen again, I promise."

—"I hope so, Miss…?"

Internally, I let out a bitter chuckle. This was definitely not Aakn.

—"Nicole."

—"Miss Nicole, then. Do we have an agreement?"

I looked into his eyes, and for a moment, something flickered in them. A memory. Something I had seen before.

—"Yes," I replied.

My gaze drifted to the board of plans hanging on the wall. The words 'New name for our stores' were written at the top, with various crossed-out suggestions like "Tasty," "Sweets," and "Delicious."

But one name was circled—Starlight.

—"Anything else, Miss Nicole?" he asked, intertwining his fingers on the desk.

I stared at him, confused. This could just be a coincidence. Of course. Yes, definitely! A coincidence. Other people use that word too—Aakn isn’t the only one.

—"Um, no, nothing. Everything’s fine," I forced a smile and reached for the door handle.

—"After work, would you like to take a walk… in the clouds?"

His tone remained the same.

My heart stopped. And the next second, it started racing uncontrollably.

I let go of the door handle and turned to him with wide eyes, tears of relief threatening to fall.

"Aakn?"

The door swung open, and the manager entered, brushing past me slightly, holding a stack of documents. Aakn looked at him as if he had just committed the greatest crime.

"Boss, could you take a look at these papers?"

Aakn nodded, glancing at them. Then his gaze returned to me, softer now. —"What do you say, Miss Nicole?" His voice was businesslike, yet gentle.

The manager glanced between us in confusion. —"What does Nicole have to do with these documents?"

Aakn ignored him, still waiting for my answer.

I smiled at him. —"Of course."

Then, I stepped out of the office.

Happiness filled my heart. My Star had returned to me.

And now, I hoped we could experience this euphoria together—for more than just a few hours.

| Aakn’s P.o.V. |

The manager left the office, and I sank into my thoughts.

It had been difficult to use all my power to transform into a human. I thought there would be severe side effects from the transformation. But no—the only changes were the color of my eyes, and now, I could feel emotions more intensely. Yet even now, it wasn’t enough to express just how happy I was to have found her.

It was hard to pretend to be a stranger, to speak to her harshly—when even if I had possessed the entire universe, I would have been willing to betray it just to have her back.

And so, my thoughts were once again filled with my Starlight.

Right now, I was sitting here, smiling like a lovesick fool—because that’s exactly what I was.

I had found her.

And I would never leave her again.

° THE END °