The café was nearly empty when Eleena arrived. It was the kind of place they used to visit in the early days — quiet, cozy, their secret corner of the world. The barista gave her a soft smile as she stepped inside, but her stomach was too knotted to return it.
Jace was already there, sitting by the window, hands folded around a coffee cup that had long gone cold. His eyes met hers the moment she walked in — weary, guarded, but searching. As if he didn't know whether to feel relief or guilt.
Eleena walked over slowly, every step a silent prayer. She sat down without a word, watching him closely. He looked like he hadn't slept. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyes unreadable.
"Thanks for coming," he said quietly.
She nodded. "You said you needed me."
He looked away, then back again. "I always need you, Eleena. That's the problem."
Her breath caught in her throat. "That's not a problem," she said, but her voice wavered. "Unless you're saying I'm a burden."
"No," he said quickly. "God, no. You're not a burden. You're... everything. That's what makes this so hard."
There was a beat of silence.
"I've made mistakes," he admitted. "There are things I haven't told you. Things I've been trying to fix on my own because I didn't want to drag you down with me."
Her hands curled in her lap. "But you already are," she said. "You're dragging me without saying a word. Do you know what that feels like?"
His shoulders dropped, and he looked at her with something close to sorrow. "I didn't want to lose you."
"And yet," she whispered, "you're pushing me away."
A long silence stretched between them, heavy with all the words neither of them had ever said. Eleena's heart thudded painfully in her chest. She wanted to reach for him. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry into his arms and tell him that no matter what, she was still here.
But instead, she looked down at her hands and said the one thing she'd never dared to say before.
"I can't keep bleeding for a man who won't let me see the wound."
Jace blinked, stunned silent.
Eleena stood slowly, her voice soft but firm. "When you're ready to let me in — really let me in — I'll listen. But I can't keep guessing. I'm loyal, Jace, but I'm still human."
And with that, she turned and walked out, the bell above the door chiming like the soft echo of something breaking.
But outside, beneath the cool gray sky, Eleena felt something she hadn't in a long time.