The train rocked gently as it sped through the night. Outside, the world blurred into streaks of black and silver, but inside, Luv sat still, his hands resting loosely on his knees, his gaze fixed on the glass.
He had been traveling for hours now, each passing mile dragging him closer to Ayu. The thought filled him with a strange mixture of anticipation and dread. For the first time in years, someone had pierced the wall he had built around himself. She saw him—not just the mask, not just the strength—but him.
And that terrified him.
His reflection on the glass shifted, almost as if it belonged to someone else. The tired eyes, the quiet intensity—so different from the boy he had been at eighteen.
It was summer back then.
He remembered the warmth of the air, the careless laughter of friends echoing in the background, the sweetness of believing in people. He had trusted too easily, given too much of himself. He had thought loyalty meant everything—that if he was true to others, they would be true to him.
But the betrayal had come swift and merciless.
He could still hear the mocking voices, the cruel twist of words behind his back. The friend he had defended countless times turned out to be the one leading the whispers. And worse—the girl he had loved, the one he thought saw him for who he was—had laughed with them, her hand resting on another's arm.
That night, something inside him cracked.
He remembered walking alone down empty streets, the city lights blurring through his tears. He remembered the weight of silence pressing on him as he swore to himself that he would never again let anyone that close.
And for years, he didn't.
The train jolted slightly, pulling him back to the present. Luv exhaled slowly, rubbing his face with one hand.
So why her?
Why did Ayu feel different? Why, when she spoke, did it feel like the walls he built weren't prisons anymore, but bridges?
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat. "Don't mess this up," he muttered under his breath.
For once, he was willing to take the risk again.
And that terrified him more than anything else.