Alarico Salazar sat by the window, the night air wrapping around him like a comforting shroud. The quiet conversations of Juliano and Carmina, mingled with the rustle of leaves, reached him from the garden. Their words, though indistinct, carried a familiar weight. His thoughts drifted to Isidora, his fiancée, and the promises he had made. Yet, a sense of incompleteness lingered, like an unfinished melody.
"Why am I still unsure?"
he mused, his gaze wandering to the stars. They seemed to mock him with their distant, unwavering light, much like the love he had once thought he understood.
Alarico hesitated at the gate of Julianna Salas's home, the familiar path beckoning him forward. A part of him had always known he would return here, drawn by an unspoken promise of what might have been. The light in the window framed her silhouette, a reminder of moments shared and words left unsaid.
"Good evening,"
he called softly, removing his hat.
"Oh! Are you in town?"
she replied, surprise coloring her voice as she leaned into the light.
Alarico found himself seated across from Julianna, the ease of their conversation gradually unraveling the tension he had carried. Her questions were gentle, probing not for answers but for understanding. Yet, as he spoke, he realized how much had changed.
"What have we lost, Julianna?"
he wondered silently, searching her eyes for a trace of the past.
As Alarico rose to leave, he felt an unfamiliar calm settle over him. The warmth in Julianna's gaze was comforting, yet it no longer stirred the longing it once had.
"Thank you for tonight,"
he said, a soft smile touching his lips as he gently squeezed her hand.
"Take care, Alarico,"
she replied, her voice carrying a quiet acceptance.
Alarico paused, looking up at the stars that dotted the heavens. They were beautiful, yet their light was but a reflection of a past long gone, just like the love he had once clung to.
"Dead stars,"
he murmured, understanding at last the truth of his heart's hesitation.
The future lay ahead, uncertain yet promising, and as he turned away from Julianna's home, Alarico felt a sense of peace. The past, with its regrets and unfulfilled desires, no longer held him captive.
