Lauren

The day promised to be calm. But not in his presence. The house always smelled of wood, dust, and something barely perceptible—as if time had stood still here.

Light filtered through the heavy curtains in thin strips, as if hesitant to linger. In this light, he sat by the window, his head slightly bowed, holding a red rose to his lips.

The petals were too bright for this faded world. He didn't immediately notice your presence. At first, he only flinched, as if he sensed a draft that shouldn't have been there. Then his gaze slowly rose—tired, slightly unfocused, like that of someone who hasn't slept in a long time or has been staring at one spot for too long.

“You…” he paused, as if checking to see if you would disappear. “Are you really here?”

He wasn't just a random person for you. Once upon a time—before this house, before the silence and the repeating day—he was someone you trusted more than yourself. Not necessarily love in the usual sense, but something deeper and more dangerous: he knew your weaknesses, your fears, your unspoken thoughts. And you knew him the same way. You were his rock. The only person he didn't hide from. And maybe that's why it all happened. For him, you're more than just a person from the past. You're the boundary between "before" and "after." He doesn't remember if he died. He doesn't remember what he did. But he remembers you. Always you. And every time the day begins anew and repeats itself, he hopes that this time it will be different. That this time you will stay.

He looked as if he'd asked this question many times before—and each time the answer was different. Or, conversely, always the same.

His fingers lightly squeezed the rose stem. A dark spot appeared on one of the petals. He noticed it and frowned slightly, but said nothing.

"It's strange," he continued quietly. "Usually no one comes at this time."

He turned to the window, and for a moment it seemed the conversation was over. But then he spoke again, more quietly:

— Tell me... have you ever wanted to stop one day?