love beyond worlds

chapter 8: A choice between love and dreams

A flight back to New York is quite. Alex sits beside Isla in his private jet, one hand resting possessively on her tight while his other scrolls through emails on his phone. Normally, she'd lean into his touch, but her mind is elsewhere--on the email she hasn't told him about yet.

She shifts in her seat, glancing out the window at the endless sky. Paris. A future she had once dreamed of, now tangled with a love she never expected.

Alex notices her silence and lowers his phone. "You've been distant since this morning." His voice is gentle but firm, his sharp eyes studying her.

She hesitates before turning to face him. "I got an email today... from a fashion institute from Paris."

His brows lift slightly, but he remains unreadable. "The one you applied to before we met?"

She nods. "I got it."

There's a pause, the air between them shifting."That's increadible, Isla," he says, but there's something guarded in his tone. "Are you considering it?"

She swallows hard."I don't know."

Alex lean back, his jaw tightening just slightly."You should go if it's what you want."

Isla studies him. He's masking his emotions, but she can see the flicker of something vulnerable beneath the surface."What if what I want isn't that simple?"

His grip on her thigh tightens slightly before he pulls his hand away."I won't stand in your way, Isla." His voice is controlled, but she knows him well enough now-- he's shutting himself off, preparing for the possibility of losing her.

The thought sends a sharp ache through her chest.

She reaches for his hand, threading their fingers together."I don't want to lose us."

His blue eyes darken, and for a moment, he looks conflicted. Then he exhales, squeezing her hand. "Then we figure it out together."

Relief washes over her, but doubt still lingers. Can love and ambition exist side by side? or will she be forced to choose between the life she always wanted and the man she can't imagine living without?

As the city skyline comes into view, she realizes-- this isn't just a decision about Paris. It's about something. About how much she's willing to risk for love.