Under the Same Sky

Chapter 13- What we hold, What we let go

Luca

They tried. For weeks after the confrontation on the bridge, they tried.

Long walks returned. Quiet dinners. The comfort of Élise’s laugh. But something had shifted — not lost, just changed. They were still in love, maybe even more than before. But love wasn’t always enough.

Luca saw it in her eyes — the way she sometimes looked at him like she was trying to fit new pieces into an old puzzle. She still held his hand tightly, but there were pauses in her sentences now. Spaces where unspoken thoughts lived.

He cooked her favorite meal one evening, lit candles, played the record she loved. And as they sat across from each other, her eyes filled with tears.

“Luca,” she whispered, “I’m scared.”

He reached across the table. “Of what?”

“That we’ll become strangers who remember each other too well.”

He swallowed hard. “Do you still love me?”

“God, yes. That’s what makes this so hard.”

Élise

They both knew her art grant was coming through. A chance to study in Copenhagen — a dream she’d spoken of long before Luca ever entered her life. He had always encouraged her. Told her to chase it. But now, it felt like goodbye was lurking behind every kiss.

The night before her flight, they lay on the rooftop where they'd once danced under string lights. She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat — the sound she thought she’d always fall asleep to.

“I wish we met at a different time,” she said.

“I wish I’d been whole sooner,” he replied.

They didn’t promise to wait. They didn’t make vows they couldn’t keep. They just held on, knowing morning would come.

—

At the airport, Élise kissed him like it was the first time. And the last.

Luca watched the plane disappear into the clouds, a soft smile on his lips and tears in his eyes.

Sometimes love doesn’t end in forever.

Sometimes, it ends in memories too full to forget.