The Nexus thrummed with an uneasy energy as Nia walked through its twisting streets, her mind tangled in the aftermath of her conversation with Eli. She had done what she believed was right she couldn’t lead him on, couldn’t pretend to feel something she didn’t. Her heart already belonged somewhere else. But knowing that didn’t make it any less painful. The ache pressed against her chest like a weight she couldn’t shift, no matter how far she walked.
She glanced back, half-expecting to see Eli trailing behind her, as if his resolve might falter. But the road was empty, stretching out like the silence that had grown between them. He hadn’t followed, and she doubted he ever would. His absence carried its own gravity, pulling at her thoughts.
Ahead, perched on the edge of a jagged cliff, Jax stood motionless, staring down at the sprawling city below. The wind tugged at his coat, making him seem untouchable, like some unwavering figure in a storm. For a moment, she envied his calm. He always seemed so steady, so sure of himself. She’d leaned on that strength more than she cared to admit, and now, watching him from a distance, she felt the pull of his presence again. But even with Jax, something inside her felt unmoored.
Eli’s face wouldn’t leave her mind—the way his eyes had softened when he spoke, the quiet tremble in his voice when he confessed what she already knew. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but the truth had done that anyway. Guilt coiled tight in her chest, a constant reminder that some wounds couldn’t be avoided.
When she found him hours later, he was sitting on the edge of a crumbling wall, the sunset painting him in shades of amber and gold. He looked out at the horizon as if searching for answers that would never come. The scene was painfully still, like a moment frozen in time. Nia hesitated, her instinct to go to him battling with the knowledge that there was nothing she could say to make things better.
For a while, she just stood there, the silence stretching unbearably between them. She wondered if he could feel her watching him, if he knew she cared even though she couldn’t give him what he wanted.
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Finally, his voice broke the quiet. “I don’t know what I expected, Nia.” His words were low, almost swallowed by the wind. “I should’ve known better than to think I had a chance.”
She flinched at the rawness in his tone, her throat tightening. “Eli, I” Her voice faltered. “I never wanted to hurt you. You have to believe that.”
“I do,” he said, his lips curling into a faint, bitter smile. “But it doesn’t change anything, does it? I thought maybe... maybe someday you’d see me the way I see you.”
Nia closed her eyes for a moment, willing herself to hold back the tears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, stepping closer but not too close. She wanted to reach out, to offer him something—anything—but she couldn’t. Not without breaking them both further.
Eli let out a hollow laugh, shaking his head. “You don’t have to apologize, Nia. I’ll be fine. I always am.”
And just like that, he stood, his movements slow and deliberate, like the weight of the moment clung to every step. He didn’t look back as he walked away, and she didn’t call after him. She just watched, her chest aching in ways she couldn’t describe.
When he was finally out of sight, she turned away, her gaze drawn instinctively to the cliff where Jax still stood, unmoving. The light was fading now, shadows stretching long across the ruins. Everything felt muted, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Nia’s feet carried her toward Jax before she even realized she was moving. He didn’t turn when she approached, but she could feel the shift in the air between them. He always seemed to know when she was near.
“Jax,” she said softly, her voice rough with unspoken emotion.
He turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting hers with that steady, familiar calm. But there was something else there too an understanding that made her throat tighten all over again.
“You did the right thing,” he said, his voice quiet but certain. “It doesn’t make it any easier, though, does it?”
She shook her head, unable to speak. The weight of the day, of everything she’d been carrying, felt like too much.
Jax stepped closer, his hand brushing against hers for the briefest moment. The touch was fleeting but enough to ground her, to remind her that she wasn’t completely alone in this.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured, his voice low and reassuring.
Nia looked up at him, her heart heavy but beating just a little steadier now. She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring or if the ache in her chest would ever truly fade. But standing there with Jax, she felt the faintest flicker of something she hadn’t let herself feel in days hope.