Aria saw someone chasing her.

At first, it didn’t feel real, but the fear settled in too quickly for it to be anything else. There was someone behind her. Someone trying to hurt her… even though they claimed to love her.

The thought alone made her chest tighten.

She was already hurt and now, she was scared.

She ran.

Her footsteps echoed loudly against the stairway walls, uneven and desperate. She kept going, turning corners, taking step after step.....but the stairs didn’t seem to end. 

They stretched endlessly, like they were trapping her instead of leading her anywhere.

Her breathing grew heavier. 

Each inhale sharper than the last. 

Her legs started to give in, trembling under the weight of panic and exhaustion.

Still, she ran.

Until she couldn’t.

Her foot slipped.

And she fell.

For a moment, everything went still.

And then… someone stood in front of her.

Not someone chasing her.
Not someone claiming her.

Someone who simply stood there… and offered a hand.

There was no urgency in his expression. No force. Just a quiet presence.. warm, yet strangely nonchalant. As if he wasn’t there to take anything from her… only to be there.

.

.

.

It was Shawn.

Aria woke up abruptly.

Her eyes snapped open, her body stiff, her breath uneven. And yet, despite sleeping for so many hours, she felt more tired than before. A strange heaviness clung to her, making even the smallest movement feel like effort.

She sat up slowly.

For a moment, she just stayed there....still, quiet....before instinctively reaching for her phone.

Peter's messages were there.

She stared at them for a second longer than necessary before replying. The conversation flowed easily enough. Normal. Familiar. But when it ended, the silence felt heavier than before.

And with it, the familiar feeling crept back in.

The rut.

Time passed without really moving. It felt like she hadn’t even stepped out of her room. She found herself binge-watching motivational videos.....one after another, for three hours straight....hoping something would click.

Nothing did.

She skipped breakfast without realizing it.

Her mom’s voice pulled her out of it, reminding her to eat as she was leaving with her dad. Aria responded faintly, eventually dragging herself out just enough to eat.

Even that felt like a task.

She missed the old times.

Not because they were perfect...but because she realized how much lonelier things had become now. She barely had any friends left. Managing her own life already felt like something slipping through her fingers.

And social skills?

That was almost laughable.

Her phone rang.

Victoria.

Aria picked up.

Victoria started talking, ranting about some college drama, her voice full of energy, frustration, amusement. Aria listened. She responded where needed, said the right things at the right moments.

But it didn’t feel real.

When the call ended, the quiet returned just as quickly.

It felt like she had been performing.

Even with her.

Maybe Victoria wasn’t really interested either.
Or maybe Aria was just overthinking everything again.

Days like these were… hard.

And no one really came to save you.

Not like in dreams.

She decided to step out for grocery shopping, hoping...just a little...that something might feel different. A small distraction. A moment of normalcy.

But even that felt dull. Empty.

Nothing changed.

On her way back, her phone buzzed.

Victoria: Wanna come to my place?

Aria stared at the message.

She didn’t have the energy. Not the mental capacity either. The idea of talking, reacting, being present.it all felt exhausting.

But staying alone… in her own thoughts…

That felt worse.

More dangerous.

So she went.

As soon as she entered the building, she made her way up and knocked.

A second passed.

Then the door opened.

And there he was.

Shawn.

For a moment, everything stilled again.....just like in the dream.

Same clothes.

Same presence.

That same unreadable calm.

Except this time… it wasn’t a dream.

And her heart.........

skipped a beat.