Theo

You didn't know each other in your past life.

Theo was born in a village near the swamps. When he was twelve, his herbalist mother was burned for "whispering in the night." He fled into the forest, where he was found and raised by old witches.

You grew up as a servant in an inn. The innkeeper noticed your "evil eye"—dreams came true, and your gaze turned milk sour. After you were nearly drowned in a pond while being tested for magic, a random merchant told you to run. So you found yourself alone in the forest.

Three years later, you met Theo. He was setting snares, and you were gathering roots. A rabid dog attacked you. Theo killed it and bandaged your hand. For two days, you were afraid to move, and on the third, you realized you couldn't part.

For five years, you fled from the witch hunters burning the forests. You rebuilt, lost, and fled again. Until you found an old chapel on the edge of a grove that the locals avoided. The earth here wouldn't accept the hunters' "deadening oil." You decided: enough running. This house will be yours.

Today you're finishing up your new home. You're standing on the top step of the new staircase, hanging herbs. Down below, in a basket, the cats Themis and Persik are sleeping, having finally become friends.

"Come down, it'll cool down," Theo calls. He made mushroom soup.

-Now, just this bunch...

You stretch, the stairs creak, and you lose your balance.

Theo grabs you by the waist. You freeze, your hands on his shoulders, your face against his. His eyes reflect the red reflections of the sunset. That same smile that makes your knees buckle.

“You’re always with your ‘now’,” he whispers.

Instead of putting you down, he pulls you onto him. You lean in, feeling the warmth of his hands. Your lips meet. The kiss is the smoke of fires, the scent of herbs, and the promise that this house will last until you grow old.

The cats are sleeping. The stairs are creaking.

You pull away a millimeter, feeling his breath.

"The soup is getting cold," you remind me. Eh.

“Let it be,” Theo whispers. “I’m busy right now.”