The terrace felt different that evening.
The wind moved freely up there, unblocked by walls or narrow corridors, carrying with it the distant sounds of the city. Honks, voices, engines, fragments of life from far below reached the terrace only after softening, like they had lost their urgency on the way up. Nothing felt immediate. Nothing demanded attention. Everything simply… existed.
The sky stretched wide above, fading slowly from pale blue into something warmer, softer. The sun hadn't set yet, but it had begun to loosen its hold on the day. Shadows grew longer. The light felt quieter.
I stood near the railing, my hands resting lightly against the cool metal, looking out without really focusing on anything in particular.
I hadn't planned to come here.
But staying inside didn't feel right either.
It felt like I needed space. Not from anything specific. Just… space.
"You're starting to show up in places I don't expect."
I turned.
Axel stood a few steps behind me, the terrace door still half open behind him. The light from the stairwell cut across the floor before fading into the open air.
He walked toward me slowly, unhurried, like he had nowhere else to be.
"Same could be said about you," I replied.
"I come here sometimes," he said.
"That doesn't make it less unexpected."
A small smile crossed his face as he came to stand beside me, leaving just enough space between us to feel natural. Not close. Not distant. The kind of distance that didn't need to be adjusted.
For a while, we didn't say anything.
The wind filled the silence for us, brushing past, tugging lightly at our clothes, moving without stopping.
"I told Nash something yesterday," I said.
Axel didn't react immediately. He didn't turn or interrupt.
He just listened.
"About what happened that night."
He nodded once.
That was enough.
"It started with the rain," I said. "We were near the garden. It got heavy… louder than usual."
The memory came back in pieces, not in order, but in feeling.
"I looked up," I continued, my voice quieter now. "And for a second… I wasn't there anymore."
Axel shifted slightly, leaning one arm against the railing, but he didn't speak.
"I remembered something," I said. "From when I was five."
The wind picked up, stronger for a moment, then settled again.
"I was at my grandfather's place. There was a storm. Everyone was asleep."
I looked down at my hands.
"I remember sitting there… waiting."
"For what?" Axel asked, his voice low.
I shook my head slightly.
"I don't know."
That was the only answer that felt honest.
"I think someone had said they'd come if I got scared," I added. "Or maybe I just believed they would."
I let out a slow breath.
"But no one came."
The words didn't feel heavy.
They just… stayed.
"I don't remember everything," I said. "Just that part."
Axel nodded once.
"And then I was back," I continued. "Same place. Same night. But it didn't feel the same anymore."
I paused.
"I didn't even realize I was crying."
That part lingered longer than anything else.
"Nash had to snap me out of it."
Axel didn't react dramatically. He didn't try to say the right thing or fix it.
He just stayed there.
And somehow, that was enough.
"And Grace was there," I added after a moment.
This time, Axel looked at me properly.
"She was in her corridor," I said. "I didn't notice at first. I thought she was just… looking at the sky."
I shook my head slightly.
"But she wasn't."
Axel didn't ask anything.
Didn't need to.
"I didn't see everything," I said. "Nash did."
That explained enough.
We stood there again, the silence returning, but not empty this time. It held something now.
"I don't even know why I told him," I said after a while. "It just… happened."
Axel let out a quiet breath.
"That's how it works with him."
I nodded.
"You don't think before saying things," he added. "You just say them."
"That sounds risky."
"It is," he said. "But it also means it's real."
That stayed.
"You're my friend too," I said.
He glanced at me.
"I know."
"I mean it," I added. "You're as important as anyone."
I paused slightly.
"And you're her brother too."
It didn't sound strange.
It just… fit.
Axel gave a faint smile. "Good to know I get upgraded for that."
I almost smiled.
After a moment, I spoke again.
"Don't you think it works?"
"What does?"
"All of it," I said. "You, me, Nash… Grace, Siena."
I didn't rush the words.
"It just feels like it fits."
Axel looked out at the city for a few seconds, watching something far below that neither of us could clearly see.
"Yeah," he said. "It does."
"And Aurea," I added. "She'd fit too."
"Your sister?"
I nodded.
"She doesn't give you a choice," I said. "You'll know her in five minutes."
"That fast?"
"Less."
He laughed quietly, the sound carried away almost immediately by the wind.
"She and Nash are already a duo," I added.
"I can see that happening," he said.
The wind picked up again, stronger this time, pushing against us before moving past.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I said it.
"Being around her helps."
Axel didn't ask who.
He didn't need to.
"It's not anything big," I added. "Just… lighter."
I rested my arms on the railing again.
"Like things don't feel as heavy when she's there."
I glanced at him briefly.
"Same way with you and Nash."
That made it clear.
Balanced.
Axel nodded once.
"Then that's enough," he said.
We stayed there for a while longer, not rushing, not needing to move. The sky shifted further, colors blending slowly as the day moved toward evening.
"We should do something," I said eventually.
"Like what?"
"Picnic," I replied. "Sunday."
He looked at me, slightly surprised.
"All of us," I added. "You, me, Nash… Grace, Siena… Aurea."
He thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"That could work."
"Yeah."
We didn't plan anything after that.
No details.
Just the idea.
After a while, Axel stepped back.
"I'll see you later," he said.
"Yeah."
He walked toward the door, then paused.
"You're different today," he said.
I didn't deny it.
"Better?" I asked.
He thought for a second.
"Clearer," he said.
Then he left.
I stayed there.
The terrace felt quieter now. The wind softer. The sky dimming slowly as evening began to take over.
For a while, I didn't think about anything.
Then, slowly—
something settled.
That memory.
That feeling.
That night.
I had thought I was waiting for someone.
Maybe I was.
But standing there now, looking out at everything below—
it didn't feel empty anymore.
Not the way it used to.
Because maybe…
it was never about someone coming back then.
Maybe it just wasn't time yet.
And now—
it was.
Not one person.
But them.
Nash.
Axel.
Grace.
Siena.
Aurea.
People who stayed.
People who noticed.
People who didn't always say things—
but were there anyway.
Not loudly.
Not obviously.
But enough.
And for the first time—
that felt like an answer.