Dark Mirror and Twisted Truth

Lake

SELENE

Since meeting him, my world slowly began to change.

Days passed after that strange night by the broken tree, yet I found myself returning to the same place again and again. I told myself it was for the quiet, for the peace the forest gave me—but deep down, I knew the truth. I was waiting for him. And every time I came back, he was there. Leaning against the same tree. Standing in the same shadows. Watching me like he knew I would come.

Like I always would.

We started walking together after that. At first, it was slow, uncertain steps between strangers. But the silence between us never felt heavy. It felt… safe.

One evening, he led me somewhere deeper into the forest.

“There’s something I want to show you,” he said.

I hesitated for only a second before following him.

The trees slowly parted, and the air changed—cooler, softer. Then I saw a lake. It wasn't just a simple lake, there were a lot of fireflies surrounding the whole of it.

“It’s beautiful…” I whispered.

After that, the lake became ours, and we returned to it every night we could.

We sat by the edge, our feet just touching the water, watching the ripples distort the reflection of the stars. He suddenly took off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders without asking. It was always warm, carrying a faint scent that slowly became familiar, comforting.

"Have I told you before that you're gorgeous?" I lined my gaze into his deep eyes. I couldn't say anything.

Then, quietly, he reached for my hand.

My heart stuttered.

His fingers wrapped around mine, warm and certain, as if he had already decided long before that moment.

“Hold my hand,” he said softly, his voice almost lost to the night air, “and I’ll hold yours like there’s no tomorrow.”

I looked at him. There was no hesitation in his eyes. No doubt. Just something honest… something real.

So I held his hand. Tighter than I meant to.

He smiled—soft, genuine, the kind of smile that made something inside me ache in a way I didn’t understand.

We stayed like that, hand in hand, watching the stars reflect on the lake.

Days turned into nights, and nights into something I never wanted to end.

It was in the way he laughed, light and unguarded even when his eyes carried exhaustion. The way his voice softened when he said my name. The way he looked at me like I mattered. Like I was enough.

And somewhere between those quiet walks, shared laughter, and lingering touches—

I realized the truth.

This wasn’t just friendship.

I fell in love with him.