\SUNDAY - NIGHT/
...
[Ember] Cyan, let's break up.
[Cyan] \turns and stares at Ember\
*Ember's head is down, looking at the floor, not at Cyan.
*...
*The pause feels so long.
[Cyan] (Blur? Ah, tears. I'm on the verge of crying.) \lifts his left sleeve to his right eye and sneaks a motion to wipe his eyes\
*Cyan fakes control, and puts up his facade.
[Cyan] ...Okay.
[Ember] \turns to Cyan, eye to eye\ Wait, what? Okay? I thought you would fight for it.
[Cyan] Maybe I would have, before I met you. I had a previous plan after all.
[Ember] \sharp voice, painful\ So you'll just go back to that plan? After this?
[Cyan] Probably. It's safe. It's sound.
[Ember] I hate you for being so reasonable.
[Cyan] And I love you for being the opposite.
[Ember] \her expression tightens, her left hand tightening as she grasps the bench\ It's, \relaxes\ "I like you," now.
[Cyan] ... I see.
*Another long pause.
*Ember closes her eyes for a long moment, then exhales, gathering the courage to explain.
[Ember] My Mom gave me a job, a wedding.
[Cyan] \relaxes and listens keeping his eyes forward, not directly to Ember\
[Ember] This wedding... it's not impossible, but the way the budget disappears is insane. \short sarcastic laugh\
[Ember] It's like the cost of my condominium and Mom's entire building combined. I have no idea what to feel, and somehow, I end up needing to figure it out.
[Cyan] ...They're spending all that for one night?
[Ember] Yeah. Different world. \short sarcastic laugh\
[Ember] If this goes well, Cyan, I'll be busier than I've ever been. There won't be time for dates, for school, maybe not even for dancing.
[Cyan] (...maybe not even for dancing.)
*The scene of Ember passing the audition, glowing, walking towards him in the main pavilion plays in Cyan's mind.
[Cyan] (Even losing that glow?) \triggered and mad\ \grits his teeth then relaxes\ Give up? Dancing. No. Ember.
[Cyan] \turns to Ember, determined and serious\ At the very least. Let the dance remain.
[Ember] \surprised by his vehemence\ Ah. Okay. I'll try.
*Another pause that feels longer than it really is.
*Enough time for both of them to relax some of their tensions.
[Ember] So you see the problem. We just got started, and reality already caught up.
[Cyan] ... \leans back, touching the bench's backrest\ I felt we were outrunning something. I didn't expect it to catch up this fast.
[Ember] What do you think, should we fight for it?
[Cyan] If we fight for it... things will change. It won't be this easy.
[Ember] You mean, it won't be this clean.
[Cyan] Yes. It won't be like the past week. We won't be able to just shake hands and walk away.
[Cyan] It will be very messy.
[Ember] What happens if we don't?
[Cyan] We'll probably be safe, and sound.
[Ember] And if we did fight for us?
[Cyan] ...Battle wounds, and permanent scars.
[Ember] What do you think, Cyan? Do you want to be safe, or do you want to fight this war?
*Another pause.
[Cyan] (I want every thing. I want to win...)
[Cyan] ...Would that even matter as long as we win?
[Ember] \surprised\ Win? Huh? How?
*In Cyan's mind, every thing became temporary. And he enters a tunnel only seeing the light.
[Cyan] I like you, Ember.
*Cyan sacrifices his Queen, Ember, to keep the light.
[Ember] ...I like you, Cyan.
*In Ember's mind, Ember sacrifices her King, Cyan, to keep the King, inside her pocket, away from the game.
*A short pause.
[Ember] So, actually, Cyan, I have one last task in mind for you.
[Ember] ...All my ideas will be offerings for clients now. And I don't even think I can keep my standards from being tainted.
[Cyan] ...What's the task? \turns and looks at Ember\
*Ember in turn looks at Cyan.
[Ember] Can you plan my wedding? ...Surprise me! \fragile, bittersweet smile\
*This sudden weight is laid on Cyan's chest, enough to stop his breath.
[Cyan] ... Okay.
*A pause.
[Cyan] But, since we're no longer together, there will be a fee.
*A pause.
[Ember] Can you give me an ex discount?
[Cyan] ...Why not.
[Ember] \a hollow, sarcastic laugh\ \sighs\ How much did we spend today, Cyan?
[Cyan] A lot.
[Cyan and Ember] \stare at each other, in a final, fragile moment, sharing a brief laugh\
[Ember] ...What was your old plan, anyway? The one you're going back to.
[Cyan] Oh, that. I would've used my free time for part-time jobs and gigs.
[Ember] Right. But you don't need it.
[Cyan] Yeah. I kind of don't. But maybe now I do. \faces Ember\
*Before the final fading Ember light disappears inside Cyan's eyes, he says.
[Cyan] I should plan your wedding, right? \bittersweet smile\
[Ember] (Why does that hurt.) ...Right. \bittersweet smile\
*A pause, in this turn-based game.
[Cyan] So, are we over-now, now?
[Ember] ... Accompany me home first. \grins, challenge and plea\
[Cyan] Okay. \stands up\
[Ember] \confused\ Wait, Cyan. Aren't we waiting for a cab?
[Cyan] ... I thought you just wanted to sit. \thumbs over his shoulder then points back\
[Cyan] We still have the pizzas I pre-ordered. It's paid, let's take it.
[Ember] Oh. Okay.
*Ember and Cyan gather their pizzas then book a cab.
[Cyan and Ember] \both sit in the back, each one near their opposite doors, away from each other\
[Cab driver] \looks in the mirror\ (A fight?) ...\drives and unmutes the live music session stream\
[Cab driver] \sees the night sky\ (Full moon, huh.)
*Sometime in the stream.
.
<*For readers, go here before continuing>
<*Author here, there's no real way to copy text in webnovel.com so i'll just drop the og link>
<*youtube.com/watch?v=PrJB2JxmRqI>
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<*Thank you my readers and enjoy!>
.
>All and Nothing<
.
Cold tracks, The train hums, through the night
New city, new faces, first sparks ignite
A goodbye, or a hello
The glances, the laughs, the rhythms, through the hall
Chances, maps, step by step, class bell calls
.
Morning coffees, first dances, whispered schemes
Late-night calls, broken sleep, shared dreams
Books and pens, our world in quiet frames
Every touch, every laugh, calling our names
.
It's soft, it's sudden, falling without fear
Every look, every joke, makes the story clear
.
We thought it was endless
We thought we would last
We felt like the answer
But it slipped through our grasp
We thought, we'd never, fall, apart
But, we've, fallen, like glass
.
Rainy streets, small truths we couldn't outrun
Unfinished dances, paintings never begun
She carries the weight of long, quiet nights
He carries his own candle, holding the light
Two hearts trembling, close, but still apart
.
It's ours, it's fleeting, the weight of everything
Every choice, every pause, makes the silence sting
.
We thought it was endless
We thought we would last
We felt like the answer
But it slipped through our grasp
We thought we'd never fall apart
But we've fallen like glass
.
All we built, all we gave, all we tried
Every smile, every tear, every time we cried
It's perfect, it's fleeting, a-summit-in-the sky
But the weight of reality demands goodbye
.
All and nothing, together we burned
Every lesson, every laugh, every turn
A story written in sparks and in scars
A dream we held, now written in stars
.
...
*Cyan and Ember arrive at Ember's place. The cab pulls away.
[Cyan] \pays the driver and tells him not to wait\
*Cab leaves.
[Ember] ...Why did you send the cab away? Aren't you going home?
[Cyan] I don't think I want to. Not yet.
[Ember] I see. Then I guess this is it, Cyan. \stares at Cyan from a distance\
[Ember] One final goodbye kiss.
*Ember walks slowly towards Cyan until she's right in his space. She puts both arms over his shoulders and kisses him.
*The thoughts that linger with the kiss.
[Ember] (Ah. Why does the world not give us more time to love?)
[Ember] (Why do we chase money instead of love?)
[Ember] (Why is the world wasting time?)
*Ember accidentally bites Cyan's lip, then a sharp, metallic tang.
[Ember] (Blood?...)
[Ember] (Ah. So this is rage.)
[Ember] (That complaint audition dance, huh. I think I can dance it now.)
[Ember] \ends the kiss\
*She pushes away from Cyan, the shock and pain of the bite visible on his face.
[Ember] \turns away and walks toward her building\
*Stops.
[Ember] \turns with a final glance back\ Goodbye, my flame, Cyan.
...
*The book ends.
*Ember's story begins.