I Loved Him In Every Lifetime

Chapter Two: Echoes in the Hallway

Ava groaned as she dropped her backpack onto the floor of her bedroom. Rainwater had seeped into her shoes, and her hair was plastered to her face. She tried to shake off the strange dreams, telling herself they were just dreams. Yet the pull in her chest, the one she felt in the alley refused to fade.

Iris burst into the room without knocking, as usual, her glossy hair bouncing with every step. “Ava, are you ready for school yet? You look like a drowned rat.”

“I think I am,” Ava muttered, glancing in the mirror at her soaked jacket. “Just give me a minute to dry off.”

Iris raised an eyebrow, smirking. “You always make everything sound so dramatic. Anyway, did you see him last night?”

Ava froze. “See who?”

“You know,” Iris said, leaning on the doorframe, playful and teasing. “That guy in the alley. The one who made you stare like a lovesick idiot.”

Ava’s ears burned. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stammered, trying to brush her hair back.

Iris laughed. “Sure, sure. You can’t fool me, Ava. I’ve known you too long. I’ve never seen you react like that to anyone.”

Ava bit her lip, unsure how to explain what had happened. She couldn’t tell Iris about the creature, the shadows, or the pull she had felt from him. Not yet.

School was loud, chaotic, and suffocating, just like always. Ava tried to stay unnoticed , moving between crowds of students. Her best friend Iris was radiant, laughing with a group of classmates, while Ava felt the familiar feeling of being overlooked.

Then she saw him.

Luca Vale. He was leaning casually against the lockers at the far end of the hallway, his golden eyes scanning the students. Every head seemed to turn when he moved, but when his gaze landed on her, something electric ran through Ava. She felt it in her chest again, that strange pull, that recognition from somewhere deep inside.

She swallowed hard and tried to look away, but he was already walking toward her, slow, deliberate, and unnervingly calm.

“Hey,” he said, stopping a few feet away. His voice was soft, but it carried across the hallway.

“Hi,” Ava replied, heart racing, trying to sound normal.

“You looked… unsettled last night,” Luca said carefully, as if testing the waters. “Are you okay?”

Ava hesitated. Her instincts screamed that she shouldn’t trust him fully, that there was danger wrapped up in his calm presence. Yet something inside told her she could.

“I’m fine,” she said, forcing a smile. Her eyes betrayed her nerves.

“You’re not,” he said, tilting his head slightly, studying her. “But I get it. Sometimes it’s easier to say you’re fine than explain the rest.”

Her cheeks flushed. How did he always see right through her?

Days came by, and Ava found herself stealing glances at Luca between classes. Every movement he made seems to echo in her mind, every smile or nod sending shivers down her spine.

During lunch, Iris nudged her. “Go talk to him,” she whispered, eyes gleaming. “I dare you.”

“I can’t,” Ava murmured, her stomach twisting with nerves and something else she didn’t want to name.

“You can,” Iris said firmly. “You’re too obvious when you stare. Just… go before someone else does.”

Ava took a deep breath. She walked toward him, and with each step, her chest tightened. Every student around them seemed to fade away.

“Hi again,” she said quietly, her voice almost trembling.

Luca’s lips curved into the smallest smile. “Hi again,” he echoed. There was a warmth in his voice that made her knees weak.

They walked together to class, talking quietly, avoiding the prying eyes of other students. Every brush of his hand, every step close to hers, made Ava’s chest flutter. Not in a way that was obvious or inappropriate, but in a way that made her feel seen, wanted, and alive.

Later that day, Ava felt it again: shadows moving oddly around the school’s courtyard, whispers she couldn’t quite hear, a cold prickle running down her spine. She looked around, but no one else seemed to notice.

Luca appeared beside her, as if summoned. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

Ava’s eyes widened. “I… I don’t know. Maybe. It’s… weird.”

“Not weird,” he said quietly. “Dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” she echoed, a shiver running down her spine.

He gave her a brief, unreadable look. “Yes. You’re not just seeing things. Something is… stirring. You need to be careful.”

Ava nodded, her mind racing. Careful. That was easy to say, but the pull inside her, the connection to him, the way he made her feel alive… it was impossible to ignore.

She realized then that her life had changed, and that nothing, not school, friends, or the ordinary world would ever feel normal again.

Even as Luca walked away, leaving her at her locker, Ava’s heart was pounding. Something ancient and powerful had stirred, and she could feel it in every beat of her chest.