Lili closed her textbook with a quiet sigh. Her parents had been unusually strict today — hovering over her homework, asking pointed questions about her friends, and lingering a little too long whenever she picked up her phone. She felt the weight of every glance, every suggestion that she shouldn't "waste her time" on frivolous things.
Her chest tightened. She wanted to tell them the truth, to say that her heart belonged somewhere far away, to someone across an ocean. But the words couldn't leave her lips.
Instead, she picked up her phone and called Dewdrop.
Dewdrop: Hey… what's wrong?
Lili: Nothing. Just… my parents.
Dewdrop: Did they see your phone again?
Lili: Not exactly… but it's like they know something. I feel… watched.
Dewdrop: I hate that. I wish I could be there.
Lili: I know. Me too.
They fell silent for a moment, the only sound the faint hum of the air conditioner in her room. Then Dewdrop's voice softened, cautious but tender:
Dewdrop: Lili… what if this distance, this… everything, makes it too hard?
Her heart tightened. "I've thought about it. I do worry. But I… I can't imagine not trying. Not with you."
Dewdrop: I worry too. That I'm not enough. That one day you'll get tired of waiting.
Lili: Dewdrop… you're more than enough. You've been my safe place, my laughter, my… everything for months. Don't doubt that.
Dewdrop: I'll try. I really will.
She smiled, even though her eyes stung. "We'll figure this out. We always do."
Dewdrop: I hope so.
Lili: Me too.
To lighten the mood, she grinned, grabbing a hair tie from her desk. "Okay, fine. Don't make me throw one through the screen at you this time."
He laughed softly. "Please don't. I've had enough injuries for one lifetime."
Lili: You asked for it!
Dewdrop: Worth it, if it makes you laugh.
The small, silly banter gave her chest room to breathe again, a brief relief from the tension pressing in. And even though the distance, the rules, the watchful eyes were real, she knew one thing: he believed in them, and she did too.
Lili: Promise me something, Dewdrop.
Dewdrop: Anything.
Lili: Promise that no matter how hard it gets… we won't let this go.
Dewdrop: I promise. Always.
She closed her eyes, letting the sound of his voice fill her room. Somewhere, far away, Dewdrop leaned back on his balcony, the warm morning light spilling over him, thinking the same thing: no shadow, no distance, no fear could break them — not if they kept holding on.
And for a moment, the world outside, with its rules and obstacles, faded. There was only this: two hearts, beating across oceans, tethered by hope, laughter, and the stubborn courage to fight for what they loved.