The next morning came quietly, the city still half-asleep as dawn touched the skyline.
I didn't feel the usual rush to move, to perform, to prove something.
For once, my body wasn't driven by discipline, it was guided by peace.
Calix had gone back to his unit late last night, leaving me with a kiss on the forehead and that crooked grin of his that somehow stayed in my mind long after he was gone.
I wasn't used to the silence feeling this… warm.
I made coffee.
Fed Celeste's feed schedule to the stable manager through text.
Everything looked normal.
But I wasn't.
Something inside me had shifted.
The walls I'd built all my life weren't entirely gone, but there were cracks now, soft places where the light came in.
—
After breakfast, I changed into my riding clothes.
The familiar weight of the boots, the gloves, the helmet grounded me back into who I was.
Still Aurora Aquino.
Still the woman who worked harder than anyone expected.
But maybe… not the same Aurora who had built her identity on distance.
At the stable, the air was cool and damp from the morning dew.
Celeste neighed softly when she saw me, and I smiled, a real one, small but sincere.
"Hey, girl," I whispered, running a hand down her smooth neck. "We've got a lot to work on today."
Training started the same way it always did, stretches, short trots, controlled jumps. But something about it felt easier, lighter, like my mind wasn't clouded by the noise of expectation anymore.
Halfway through, I heard a familiar voice from behind the fence.
"You look better when you're not trying to prove something."
Calix.
I turned my head, heart skipping. He leaned casually on the railing, wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, hair messy, sunlight catching in his eyes.
"I wasn't expecting you today," I said, adjusting Celeste's reins.
"Couldn't help it," he said. "Wanted to see you work your magic."
I rolled my eyes, but the corner of my mouth betrayed me with a smile.
"You're distracting me."
"Good. You overthink too much," he said easily, walking closer. "You should smile more when you ride. You look terrifyingly perfect."
I gave him a look, half amusement, half warning. "Perfect keeps me on top."
He stepped closer. "Maybe. But imperfection makes you human."
I sighed, shaking my head but unable to hide the quiet amusement that tugged at me.
"Do you ever stop talking?"
"Only when you kiss me," he said, with that teasing grin.
I froze for half a second, then threw him a glare that didn't quite land the way I wanted it to.
"Unbelievable."
He laughed, hands raised in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll shut up. Just… don't ignore me after training, okay?"
"Why would I?" I asked, genuinely curious.
He smiled softly this time. "Because sometimes, when you get lost in what you love, you forget people love you too."
That one caught me off guard.
I didn't have a reply for it, not immediately.
So I looked away, focusing on Celeste, on the saddle, on anything that wasn't his words echoing in my chest.
But I knew what he meant.
And for the first time, I didn't run from it.
—
When training ended, I found him still waiting by the fence.
He handed me a bottle of water and wiped a strand of hair off my face.
The gesture was small, gentle, but it melted me in ways I couldn't admit out loud.
"Thanks," I whispered.
"Anytime," he said, voice low. "You okay?"
"I am." I paused, looking at him. "More than okay, actually."
He smiled that quiet, knowing smile, the one that said he didn't need to hear me say I love you to know I meant it in a thousand little ways.
He took my hand briefly, fingers brushing mine like a secret promise. "Dinner later?"
"Sure," I said softly. "You pick the place."
He grinned. "Don't worry. No more fancy restaurants. Just something simple."
I raised a brow. "Simple sounds good."
And as he left, I realized something that should've scared me but didn't:
I was finally letting him in.
Completely.
Not because I had to.
But because I wanted to.
And that, for someone like me, was everything.
—
By the time evening rolled around, the city lights had scattered across the skyline like spilled gold.
I finished tending to Celeste one last time, brushing down her coat and checking the tack carefully, before finally allowing myself to breathe.
Calix had already messaged me that he'd picked the place for dinner, a small, quiet bistro not far from the condo, the kind of place that didn't demand attention or pretension.
Exactly what I needed.
I changed into something simple, comfortable.
Not for anyone but myself… though I knew he'd notice.
He always did.
—
When I arrived, he was already there, leaning casually against the table, an easy smile on his face that made my chest flutter.
"Hey," he greeted softly, standing as I approached.
"Hi," I said, the word slipping out lighter than I expected.
For a brief second, it felt like we were alone in the world, not just two units in a building, not just a marriage on paper, not just the obligations and expectations that had always defined me.
He guided me to the table, but not in a formal way, in a gentle, protective way, like I mattered entirely to him.
It made me flush slightly.
Dinner passed with soft conversation, laughter tucked between us, glances that lingered a beat too long.
I felt my walls softening even more, allowing him into the corners of my mind and heart I had never let anyone enter.
At one point, he reached across the table, fingers brushing mine.
I didn't pull away.
"You're different," he murmured, voice low, just for me. "More… open. Happier."
I glanced down at our hands, then back up at him. "I guess I am," I admitted softly. "Because of you."
He smiled, that slow, crooked grin that had become mine to recognize, mine to love.
"No," he said, shaking his head gently. "Because of us."
I felt something warm pool in my chest, a mix of relief, desire, and something deeper, the kind of emotion that didn't need a name yet, but I already knew I wanted to feel it forever.
–
When dinner ended, we walked out into the cool night.
The air was crisp, scented faintly with the city's mix of concrete and blooms from nearby planters.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "Shall we walk a bit?"
I nodded, letting myself fall into step beside him.
And then, without warning, he pulled me close, hand at the small of my back, bringing me flush against him.
"You okay?" he whispered, eyes scanning mine.
"Yes," I said softly, though my voice betrayed me a little. My heart was hammering, warmth spreading through me from head to toe.
He leaned down, capturing my lips in a kiss that was gentle, teasing, intimate.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Just… him, just us.
I melted into it, hands finding his chest, feeling the steady beat beneath my fingers.
Every doubt, every fear I had ever carried seemed to dissolve in the warmth of that kiss.
When we finally pulled apart, foreheads resting together, I whispered, almost breathless,
"I… I think I'm really in love with you."
He smiled softly, eyes glimmering with the same truth I felt in my chest.
"And I've been in love with you since the moment I realized you'd let me in," he said.
For a long moment, we just stood there, holding each other in the quiet hum of the city night, letting the world fade until there was nothing but the two of us.
And in that stillness, I realized something important:
I didn't have to fear love anymore.
I didn't have to hide from it.
I didn't have to protect myself from it.
Because finally, I had someone I could surrender to.
Completely.
Someone who loved me, not my perfection, not my achievements, not my image, just me.
And that was more than I had ever dared to hope for.