Marcel

I’m standing at the edge of the rooftop, feeling the cool night air whip around me like it’s trying to pull me in, take me somewhere I can’t reach.

Below me, the city is alive with lights and noise. But up here, it’s quiet. Almost too quiet.

Everyone’s gathered around, talking, laughing, clinking glasses, but none of it feels real. It’s like I’m trapped in a moment I can’t escape.

The party is supposed to be a celebration. Everyone’s congratulating my father, who’s practically a legend in this company.

He’s announcing that I’ll be taking over as the new head of the company in a couple of months, and everyone’s so happy for me—well, everyone but me.

I don’t know why I even bothered coming. I should have just stayed home, curled up in my bed, and let the world pass me by.

But no. I had to come here, had to put on the smile, the mask that says everything’s fine when nothing is.

I feel like a fraud.

I can hear my dad’s voice over the noise, thanking people, giving speeches about how proud he is of me, how he’s ready to step aside and let me take over.

People are raising their glasses, congratulating him, but all I can do is stand here and feel the ache in my chest. There’s nothing here for me.

I don’t even know why I came tonight. Maybe because I thought I’d find something that could fill the empty space inside me, but I didn’t. All I’ve done is remind myself of how much I’ve lost.

Everyone seems so happy, so together.

I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I flinch, turning quickly to see Michel standing beside me. His face is soft, concerned, but I can’t do this right now. I’m so tired of pretending everything is okay.

“Marcel,” he says, his voice low. “Are you okay?”

I force a smile. “I’m fine,” I lie.

He doesn’t buy it. “You’ve been quiet all night. Come on, talk to me. What’s going on?”

I should tell him. I should tell him everything. How I’m a mess, how I can’t stop thinking about Lori. But I don’t.

I don’t want to burden him with my bullshit.

“I just need some space,” I say, my voice tight. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

Michel studies me for a moment, and then, as if sensing my need to be left alone, he nods and walks away.

I’m grateful for the silence he leaves behind, but it doesn’t last long. The noise of the party continues to swirl around me.

I try to focus on anything else, but all I can think about is Lori. It’s weeks days since we last spoke. Not a text, not a call. Nothing. It’s like she’s just vanished, and I can’t help but wonder if I deserved it.

Did I push her too far? Was I too hard on her? Too cold? Maybe if I hadn’t let myself get so angry, maybe if I’d just let it go.

But now she’s gone and I don’t know how to bring her back.

The sound of a microphone being picked up cuts through my thoughts. I turn toward the stage, where someone’s making a scene or a speech.

I can barely make out what they’re saying, but it’s enough to make me focus.

There’s a moment of silence, and then I hear it—her voice.

Lorian fucking Dao!

It’s like a shock that runs through me, from my chest to my fingertips. I don’t know how to explain or describe what it feels like to hear her after all this time, after everything that’s happened.

My heart stops, and before I even realize what I’m doing, my feet are moving back inside.

I’m standing in the doorway just watching her.

Watching her stand in front of the crowd, eyes searching until she finds mine.

Then she locks her gaze on me.

Her face is pale but determined. I don’t know if it’s for herself, for us, or for something else entirely.

The crowd is murmuring, the music dying down, but all I can hear is Lori’s voice cutting through it all.

“I have to say something,” she says, loud enough for everyone to hear. She takes a deep breath, and her voice trembles just a little. “I’ve messed up. I’ve hurt someone I care about, and I don’t know how to fix it. But I can’t let this go without saying how I feel.”

There’s a pause. She looks right at me, her eyes soft but filled with something I can’t quite name.

“Marcel, I know I’ve been an idiot. And I know I’ve hurt you. But you need to understand something—I never wanted to hurt you. Not like this.”

I take a step forward, my heart pounding. I don’t know what to say, don’t know how to react. I want to say something, but my mouth feels dry, like I’m choking on the emotions I’ve been holding in.

Lori’s voice cracks, just slightly, but enough for everyone to hear.

“Julian—he was drunk. He needed a place to crash. That’s all. He doesn’t mean anything. Please believe me.”

I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I want to say something, but the tears are already welling up in my eyes, blurring everything around me. This—this is what I’ve been waiting for. This is what I’ve needed to hear.

She steps closer.

“Marcelina, I’m so sorry. I never meant for things to get this messed up....but...I love you. I love you and I can’t just walk away from that. Please—if you’ll have me—give me a chance to fix this.”

The room is silent now, and I feel like I’m in a movie, like this isn’t real. My heart is racing, my breath coming in short gasps.

But it feels right.

Everything in me screams that this is right, that this is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

“I don’t know if I can just forgive you,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “But I want to try. I want to fix this too.”

Lori steps forward, her hand reaching for mine, and I take it without hesitation.

She drops the mic.

“Can I have this dance?” she asks softly, and I nod, unable to speak.

We move to the center of the room, and I let her pull me close, feeling the warmth of her body, the way her hands fit perfectly around my waist. We don’t need to say anything else. We just move, slowly, to the music, letting everything else fade away.

“You didn’t have to make a scene,” I mutter against her ear, but Lori just shakes her head.

“I did,” she says, her voice soft. “It was the only way I could talk to you.”

I look up at her. “Jerky move.”

She smiles. “Just the way you like it.”

.....

Awwwwwww!!!