The Weight of a Name
As soon as Victor said her name, the darkness itself froze, as if even the wind was holding its breath to hear.
"S–Sasha."
The name slipped from his mouth like a delicate glass, shaking with a burden neither of them had had the courage to touch for so many years. It hung in the air, gentle and keen, cutting through the silence like a wire of steel. Behind her, the fountain whispered, water falling over stone in soft whispers that wrapped around the tone of his voice. Moonlight danced across the surface, scattering silver through her hair, making it strands of gold that shone like starlight caught in silk.
