Written in stars

Chapter3

Shadows of the Past

Lena left Celestia Corp that evening with her head spinning. The city lights blurred into streaks as she walked toward the subway, each step weighed down by the unsettling encounter with Adrian Blackwood.

"Have we met before?"

She clenched her hands, remembering the way his voice had dropped lower, the intensity in his gaze as if he was searching for an answer just as much as she was.

It wasn’t just a passing remark.

There was something there.

Something she couldn’t explain.

She reached the platform just as the train arrived, stepping inside and sinking into a seat by the window.

For the entire ride home, one thought refused to leave her mind.

"Why does it feel like I know him?"

---

A Dream That Wasn’t Just a Dream

That night, Lena tossed and turned in bed, unable to shake the strange energy lingering in her bones.

And then—she dreamed.

A vast sky stretched above her, littered with stars. The air smelled of something ancient and familiar.

She stood on a balcony, her hands gripping the cold stone railing as wind tangled through her hair.

Then—footsteps behind her.

She turned.

And there he was.

Adrian.

Except it wasn’t Adrian Blackwood, CEO of Celestia Corp.

No.

This man stood in midnight armor, his dark hair longer, his sharp features illuminated by torchlight. His stormy gray eyes burned into hers, filled with something deep and raw.

Lena’s breath hitched. She felt it—a pull, a memory, a past that wasn’t hers yet felt like it belonged to her.

The man took a slow step forward.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he murmured.

His voice was the same. Adrian’s voice.

But this wasn’t Adrian Blackwood.

This was someone else. Someone from a time long before this one.

“I had to see you,” Lena found herself saying.

Her own voice sounded different, softer, filled with an emotion she couldn’t place.

His expression tightened. “If they find us—”

“They won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

She stepped closer, close enough to see the tension in his jaw, the conflict in his gaze.

She reached up, her fingers brushing against the side of his face.

A sharp breath left his lips, and for a moment, he melted into her touch.

Then—a horn sounded in the distance.

His body tensed. “They’re coming.”

Lena’s heart raced.

He grabbed her wrist, his grip firm but desperate.

“You have to wake up,” he said urgently.

The world around her shattered into darkness.

And Lena gasped awake.

---

Reality and Fiction Blur

Lena bolted upright in bed, her breath ragged, her heart pounding so hard it hurt.

She clutched the blankets, staring at the wall as waves of confusion rolled through her.

What was that?

It had been a dream. It had to be a dream.

But… it had felt so real.

Her skin still tingled where his fingers had touched her wrist. The echo of his voice—Adrian’s voice—still lingered in her mind.

Lena shuddered, running a shaky hand through her hair.

This wasn’t normal.

This wasn’t just a dream.

She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling deeply.

"It’s nothing. Just stress. Just nerves. Forget about it."

But she knew—deep down, she knew—this wasn’t over.

---

The Next Morning – Celestia Corp

By the time Lena arrived at Celestia Corp the next morning, she was a mess.

She hadn’t slept after waking from that dream. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt like she was on that stone balcony again, staring into the eyes of a man who shouldn’t exist.

"You have to wake up."

The words haunted her.

Was she going crazy?

Lena shook the thought away as she reached her desk, determined to push past the unease coiling in her stomach.

She couldn’t afford distractions.

Not today.

But the moment she settled into her seat, her entire body went rigid.

Because Adrian Blackwood was already in his office.

And he was watching her.

His gray eyes were unreadable, but there was something different about them.

As if he, too, hadn’t slept.

As if he, too, was trying to understand something he couldn’t explain.

Lena swallowed hard, quickly looking away.

But deep down

, she already knew the truth.

She wasn’t the only one who had dreamed last night.

And whatever was happening between them—

It was only the beginning.

Lena forced herself to focus on her work, but her hands trembled as she clicked through the morning reports. The numbers blurred, her mind still trapped in the lingering haze of her dream.

Or… was it a dream?

Every second that passed with Adrian Blackwood sitting behind that glass office door, her unease grew. She could feel his presence like a storm cloud pressing against her skin, heavy, charged, impossible to ignore.

Does he remember?

The question refused to leave her mind.

Had he experienced the same thing?

Had he seen that other version of himself standing on that balcony?

Or was she the only one losing her grip on reality?

She risked a glance toward his office.

To her surprise, he wasn’t looking at his computer.

He was looking at her.

Lena’s breath caught.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Then, as if realizing he had been staring, Adrian turned away and returned his attention to his screen, his expression unreadable.

Lena exhaled shakily and turned back to her work.

But the moment was burned into her mind.

Something was happening between them.

And she didn’t know how much longer they could ignore it.

---

A Silent Conversation

Hours passed in a blur of meetings and paperwork.

Lena kept her head down, trying to act normal, but her body was on high alert every time Adrian stepped into the room.

Their interactions were brief, filled with clipped instructions and professional exchanges.

But in the silence, in the moments between words, something simmered beneath the surface.

A glance too long.

A breath too sharp.

A hesitation before speaking.

It was like they were dancing around something neither of them could name.

By lunchtime, Lena was exhausted.

She had barely touched her food when Naomi Clarke, Adrian’s executive assistant, approached her table in the breakroom.

"You’re needed in the CEO’s office," Naomi said.

Lena blinked. "Now?"

Naomi gave a curt nod. "Now."

Lena set her fork down, her stomach twisting.

Adrian hadn’t called her into his office all morning.

Why now?

She stood and followed Naomi back to the top floor, her pulse quickening with every step.

The moment she entered the office, Adrian’s deep voice broke the silence.

"Close the door."

Lena hesitated before doing as he asked.

Adrian stood near the floor-to-ceiling window, hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on the skyline.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then—

"How did you know about the error in the financial report yesterday?"

Lena froze.

She had expected something else—maybe a new assignment, maybe a reprimand.

But this?

"I…" She hesitated. "I checked the numbers."

Adrian turned, his stormy eyes locking onto hers.

"No," he said. "You spotted the mistake too fast. As if you’d seen it before."

Lena’s throat went dry.

He was testing her.

She forced herself to stay calm. "I was just being thorough."

Adrian took a slow step forward.

"Are you sure?"

Lena swallowed. "Yes."

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Then, Adrian’s next words made her heart slam against her ribs.

"I had a dream last night."

Lena stilled.

The air in the room shifted.

Her fingers curled into fists at her sides.

Adrian’s gaze darkened, as if watching for her reaction.

"It felt real," he murmured. "Too real."

Lena’s pulse thundered.

She had to lie.

She had to say she didn’t know what he was talking about.

But instead, she whispered—

"What was it about?"

Adrian studied her for a long moment.

Then he exhaled and looked away.

"It doesn’t matter."

Lena’s chest ached at the answer.

Because she knew.

She knew that whatever he had seen—

It was the same as what she had seen.

But neither of them was ready to admit it.

Not yet.

Because if they did—

It would change everything