Chapter 2: A Promise in the Air

The next day, my stomach was in knots. I put on a simple sea-green dress—his favorite—and could barely keep my mind on work as I closed up the shop. Right at eight, headlights pulled up outside.

When I stepped out, Adrián was waiting for me under an umbrella. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up so warmly I forgot all about the cool night air.

"You look stunning, Maya. You always do," he said, offering me his arm.

Instead of a high-end restaurant, he took me to the local botanical garden. It was quiet that evening, softly lit by warm string lights. We walked side by side, falling into a comfortable silence—the kind that made the two years apart feel like they had never happened.

"There wasn't a day I didn't think about you," Adrián said, pausing near a small pond reflecting the lights. "Paris, New York... it didn't matter how incredible the places were, I kept wishing you were there to share them with me. I was foolish to think career success could ever replace what I lost when I left you."

I turned to face him, a lump forming in my throat.

"It broke my heart when you left, Adrián. I stayed behind and poured everything into opening this cafe, but a part of me was always watching the door, hoping you'd walk back in."

Adrián set the umbrella aside and gently took both of my hands in his. His grip was warm against the chilly night breeze.

"I know, and I'll regret causing you pain for the rest of my life," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "That's why I gave up the international offers. I came back for good to open my firm here. Success doesn't mean anything to me if I can't share it with you, Maya."

You could hear the raw honesty in his voice. The ambitious man who put work before everything was gone; in front of me was the Adrián who loved me completely. He stepped closer, gently raising his hand to touch my cheek. The soft brush of his thumb against my skin completely undid me.

"I love you, Maya. I never stopped," he murmured, leaning in.

The distance between us vanished. I leaned into him, but just as our lips were about to meet, thunder rumbled overhead and the garden lights went completely black, wrapping us in the magic of the dark.