Between dreams and Shadows
1123 Words
The next morning, sunlight streamed softly through the curtains, painting golden lines across Isabel’s face. She groaned quietly, rolling over and reaching for her phone on the bedside table.
Notifications blinked — messages from friends, a few missed calls, social media updates — but she wasn’t interested. Her thumb hovered over the screen, then fell still.
Her mind wasn’t on her phone.
It was on him.
Xavier.
The memory of last night came rushing back like a wave — the tension, the closeness, and that unexpected kiss that still made her heart race whenever she thought of it.
She let out a shaky sigh and stared at the ceiling. “He really stole my first kiss…” she whispered to herself.
Her cheeks warmed instantly. It still felt unreal — too fast, too strange, too powerful. For someone she’d just met, he had managed to stir something deep inside her that even Derick, her ex, never had.
She thought about Derick — how she’d always kept her boundaries, how she never let him touch her beyond holding hands. She’d promised herself she’d wait until she was sure. Until she met someone different.
And now, out of nowhere, she’d met Xavier — mysterious, impossible, from another world entirely — and she had broken every rule she set for herself without even realizing it.
Her lips curved into a small, dreamy smile. “Well… he’s good-looking,” she muttered, voice barely above a whisper. “Handsome, actually… maybe I wouldn’t even mind losing my virginity to him.”
The words left her mouth before her mind caught up.
Her eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her lips instantly. “Oh my God—what did I just say?”
Her face turned red. She sat upright, pressing the blanket to her chest. “I can’t be thinking like this! I barely even know him!”
She shook her head as if that could erase the thought, but it didn’t work. The image of Xavier — his sharp gaze softening when he looked at her, the faint smile that played on his lips — burned into her mind.
Her heart fluttered again, a wild mix of embarrassment and longing.
“Get it together, Isabel,” she muttered, trying to calm her heartbeat. “You’re losing it.”
She tossed her phone aside and stood up, padding toward her mirror. The girl staring back at her had pink cheeks and a faraway look in her eyes — the look of someone caught between confusion and desire.
Her reflection didn’t look like the calm, logical Isabel she knew. It looked like someone changed — touched by something extraordinary.
A faint breeze stirred through the window then, brushing across her skin. She froze. It was too soft to be wind — more like a presence. Her breath hitched as goosebumps rose on her arms.
“Hello?” she whispered.
No answer. Only stillness. But deep inside, she could feel something. Someone.
Across the invisible barrier between realms, Xavier watched.
He stood hidden in the space between his world and hers — the thin rift that allowed him to cross through shadows. His body shimmered faintly in blue light as he gazed at her.
She looked radiant — alive in a way that made his chest tighten painfully. He shouldn’t have come. Every moment he lingered risked tearing the fragile wall between their worlds. But he couldn’t stay away.
He reached a hand toward her reflection in the mirror, his fingertips hovering just above the barrier. The air crackled faintly.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he murmured. “But I needed to see you.”
Isabel blinked, sensing something strange but not understanding what. Her gaze swept over the room again, landing briefly on her mirror — and for a second, just a second, she thought she saw a flash of blue light behind her.
She turned quickly. Nothing. Just her empty room.
Her heart raced, but instead of fear, she felt… warmth.
She pressed her hand against her chest, whispering, “Why do I feel like you’re still here, Xavier?”
On the other side, he smiled faintly before the rift faded, his form vanishing into the air like smoke.
---
Isabel blinked, the strange energy fading from her room. “Weird,” she murmured, shaking her head. “I’m definitely losing it.”
She grabbed her towel and went to freshen up. The cool water on her skin helped a little, though her thoughts still spun. When she looked at herself in the mirror again, she managed a confident smile.
“Alright, Isabel. You’re fine. Just… don’t overthink it.”
Downstairs, the smell of breakfast filled the kitchen. “Good morning, Mom!” she said brightly, trying to sound normal.
Her mother turned from the stove and smiled. “Morning, sweetheart! You seem cheerful today.”
Isabel shrugged casually, pouring herself a cup of juice. “Just in a good mood, I guess.”
Her mom raised an eyebrow. “A good mood? After staying up half the night? You’ve been glowing lately. Should I ask why?”
“Mom!” Isabel groaned, laughing nervously. “It’s nothing like that.”
“Mm-hmm,” her mom hummed with a knowing smile. “If you say so.”
They ate quietly after that, but Isabel barely tasted her food. Her mind was already wandering — to his face, his voice, the way he looked at her like he saw straight through her.
When she finished, she stood and carried her plate to the sink. “Thanks for breakfast, Mom. I’ll see you later.”
Her mother called after her, “Don’t forget your lunch! And—”
“I got it!” Isabel said quickly, already halfway out the door.
The morning sun was bright, but the air around her felt strange — thicker, charged somehow. The world seemed sharper, every color brighter. And beneath it all, a quiet pulse — like a heartbeat that wasn’t hers.
Halfway down the street, a soft whisper brushed her ear.
“Isabel…”
She froze, spinning around. No one was there.
The street was empty, but her heart was pounding.
A small smile curved her lips. “Xavier,” she whispered under her breath.
No reply. But she didn’t need one. Deep inside, she could feel him — somewhere near, watching, protecting.
She lifted her chin slightly, confidence returning. “Alright,” she murmured, her voice soft but sure. “Next time I see you… you’ll have to tell me everything.”
The wind stirred gently, almost as if in answer — and though she couldn’t see it, a faint shimmer of blue followed her as she walked away.
- Writer
