LOVE WRITTEN IN RUINS

The rain always made Aria Voss uneasy. Not because she hated it but because it reminded her of things she had spent years trying to forget. She stood behind the counter of the small bookstore, staring at the glass window as heavy droplets slid down like broken memories she could not erase. The world outside was soft, grey, and ordinary. Inside her, nothing was ordinary. “Aria, could you check the back for the new shipment?” her manager called from across the store. She blinked once, forcing herself back into reality. “Yes,” she replied softly. Her voice was calm. Controlled. Practiced. Everything about her life was practiced. She moved through the narrow aisles of books, fingertips brushing past spines she had memorized long ago. Romance. Mystery. Crime. Stories of people who survived things she could never allow herself to remember. At the back room, she paused. For a second just one second her breath tightened. The light flickered. Not unusual. Old building. Bad wiring. But her body reacted before her mind did. Her heart beat faster. Her fingers curled slightly at her side. No. Not again. She closed her eyes, forcing the memory down before it could rise. Fire. Smoke. Screams she still heard when the world was too quiet. Aria pressed her palm against the cold metal shelf until the feeling passed. When she opened her eyes again, she was back. Aria Voss. Not Elena. Never Elena. By evening, the rain had grown heavier. The bookstore was nearly empty when the bell above the door suddenly rang. One customer. Aria looked up automatically. And froze. He walked in like the room already belonged to him. Tall. Controlled. Expensive in a way that did not need explanation. Black coat slightly damp from the rain, dark hair neatly styled despite the weather. But it wasn’t his appearance that stopped her breathing. It was his eyes. Cold. Focused. Like he was searching for something he had already lost… and just found a trace of it. He stopped at the entrance, scanning the bookstore slowly. Then his gaze landed on her. And stayed. Too long. Too intentional. Something inside Aria tightened. She didn’t know him. But her instincts did not relax. They warned her. Danger. The man took a step forward. Then another. Until he stood directly in front of the counter. His voice was calm when he spoke. “Do you work here every day?” Aria blinked once. “…Yes.” A pause. His eyes studied her face like it held answers to a question she had never been asked. “Interesting,” he said quietly. Her fingers tightened slightly behind the counter. “Can I help you find something?” He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze dropped just briefly to her name tag. ARIA VOSS Something shifted in his expression. So subtle she almost missed it. Recognition. Or suspicion. Or both. “I’m looking for something,” he finally said. His voice lowered slightly. “…but I’m not sure it exists anymore.” The air between them changed. Heavy. Uncomfortable. Like something unseen had stepped into the room. Aria forced herself to stay still. “What is it?” she asked carefully. The man’s eyes returned to hers. And for the first time, something darker flickered beneath his control. “A person,” he said. A pause. Then, “One who shouldn’t be hard to find if she’s still alive.” Aria’s breath stopped. For half a second. Just half. But enough. Because something in the way he said it, Was not a question. It was a certainty. And for the first time in five years Aria Voss felt the past take a step toward her again.