To See You Again

The room was beautiful. Not expensive or luxurious...

A kind of beauty that felt impossible.

Warm sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a breathtaking view of Brooklyn Harbor. The water sparkled beneath a golden afternoon sky.

The room itself sank several feet below the doorway, creating a cozy living area surrounded by curved white couches.

A dining table sat nearby, with a fully stocked kitchen occupying one corner. There was even a hallway leading toward what appeared to be a bedroom and bathroom.

Everything seemed peaceful... Comfortable and real.

Which somehow made it even stranger.

"What the?..."

The door behind her slid shut.

Zoe spun around, and there was no handle... No keypad... No way out.

Her pulse quickened.

"Hello?"

No answer.

She crossed the room cautiously.

The furniture felt solid beneath her fingertips.

The fruit bowl on the kitchen counter smelled fresh.

A coffee mug sat beside the sink, steam rising from it as though someone had just poured it moments ago.

A chill crawled up her spine.

The room wasn't empty. Someone was here.

Then she heard it... Water running.

Her entire body froze.

The sound was coming from down the hallway... from the bathroom.

Her heart began hammering, and every instinct screamed at her to leave.

Unfortunately, she had no idea how.

"Hello?" she called.

Nothing. Only the steady rush of water.

Slowly, she moved toward the hallway.

One step after another, the running water grew louder.

The bathroom door stood partially open; steam drifted into the hall.

Her palms were sweating.

This was insane... Absolutely crazy!

Yet she couldn't stop herself.

She reached the doorway and looked inside.

She screamed!

The sound tore from her throat before she could stop it.

The figure inside jerked violently, and the shower curtain flew aside.

A man stumbled out.

Tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. Water dripping from his shoulders.

"DAMIEN!"

The world began to spin as she staggered backwards, knees buckling as she crashed to the floor.

Impossible!

The man rushed toward her as concern filled his face.

The same face she had memorized over seven years together.

The same face she had seen in a coffin.

"Zoe!"

He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before kneeling beside her.

"Baby, are you okay?!"

His breathing became ragged, and she couldn't think. She couldn't move...

She couldn't understand. This wasn't happening!

Damien reached for her... She flinched, and then she froze.

His hand touched hers.

Warm, solid, and real.

Not a ghost or a hallucination... Or a memory.

She could feel the roughness of his skin... The strength of his fingers.

The familiar scar on his thumb from a kitchen accident years ago.

Exactly where it should be.

Tears flooded her eyes.

"No..." she whispered.

Damien looked confused.

"What do you mean, no?"

"You..."

A silence followed.

Then Damien laughed. He actually laughed. That warm, familiar laugh she had spent the last month aching to hear.

"What are you talking about?"

The words hit her like a freight train.

He wasn't pretending... He genuinely had no idea what she meant.

"Damien..."

Tears streamed down her face.

"You died."

His expression softened.

The kind of look people gave someone they thought was having a bad dream.

He brushed a strand of hair from her face.

"Zoe."

His voice was gentle and comforting. The way it had always been.

"I'm right here."

Something inside her shattered.

She threw herself into him, sobbing as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Every ounce of grief she had carried for thirty-one days erupted from her chest.

Damien held her and rocked her gently.

He whispered soothing words into her hair.

"It's okay."

"I'm here."

"I've got you."

For a moment... Just one moment... She allowed herself to believe it.

Maybe the funeral had been wrong.

Maybe the accident never happened.

Maybe she had lost her mind...

Maybe none of it mattered, because Damien was here.

He was alive and breathing... holding her.

For the first time in over a month, the pain was gone.

Hours passed... Or maybe minutes.

Time felt different here.

They talked and laughed as they cooked dinner together.

She watched him move around the kitchen and found herself studying every detail.

The way he smiled. The way he walked... The little habit of humming while he cooked.

Everything was perfect. Too perfect...

A tiny voice in the back of her mind kept whispering... Something is wrong.

She ignored it.

Then she noticed something...

The engagement photo on the bookshelf.

She walked over and picked it up.

The frame looked new... Pristine even. Untouched by the dust.

As though it had been placed there moments ago.

"Damien?"

"Hmm?"

She turned toward him.

"How long have we lived here?"

He looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?"

"This apartment."

He smiled.

"We've always lived here."

A strange feeling settled in her stomach.

Always. Not seven years... Not three months... Always.

She looked around again, and the room suddenly felt different.

Not comforting... Constructed.

Then her eyes fell upon a small black object resting on the coffee table.

The stone.

The one the woman had given her.

She had completely forgotten about it.

The moment she saw it, reality came rushing back.

The white hallway. The impossible building. The strange receptionist. The room, the scan, and the instructions. If you wish to leave, simply say "Mishi."

Her stomach dropped.

Damien noticed the change in her expression.

"What's wrong?"

Zoe stared at him...

The man she mourned... The man she loved...

The man who shouldn't exist.

The room suddenly felt very quiet.

For the first time since arriving, she found herself wondering a terrifying question.

If Damien was here...

Then who... or what... was he really?

STAY TUNED FOR MORE.