The World Between Us Novels & Stories

He walked towards them while loosening his tie and looked directly at Nick's eyes. "It's bad," West whispered. Nick gave him a what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about look which is pretty much what everyone has on their faces. Edward stuck out his tongue and brush his fingers against his hair as he pushes them backward, he has no time for this. Who knows what Louis is doing with Hailey right now. West threw the envelope on the coffee table and akimbo both his arms on his waist. He pursed his lips looking tired as if he was chased 24/7.

said Miss Close. "The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades ." Jenna's voice quivered as soon as she began speaking. "And... And resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster..." She continued, clearing her throat. After a while, when she reached the end of her presentation, she realised it wasn't that scary after all. Yes, she was practically shaking but no one made fun of her. She realised that they all had to do a presentation at the end of the day. They must've felt just as intimidated! "Well done Jenna!" Miss Close admired as everyone in the class applauded.

“Uh, who?” “Kai, of course. Who else?” Leah’s eyes brightened. The pot lid rattled from the steam. She turned to adjust it, giving me a second to breathe. “Not really,” I said, rolling my eyes to the side. “He was out most of the day.” “Funny how you two seem to get along now,” she said with a small laugh. “Remember the first two months? Y’all were like Tom and Jerry. I genuinely thought the hatred would never die.”

It felt like a spotlight alright—a cruel one, shining directly on me while the rest of the world faded into the background. I found myself just staring at it, hoping, wishing for the universe to somehow intervene and fix this disaster. I kept waiting for someone, anyone, to laugh and say, “Just kidding! This is a prank!” I was positive that it had to be a joke, and any moment now someone would swing in and save me from this embarrassment. But nobody moved. The silence was deafening, and instead, the whispers started to grow louder and more insistent. People pulled out their phones, and in a flash, someone snapped a picture. My humiliation captured for all eternity.

Maureen nudged her. Aria laughed. “Yes, we’re friends now. Not that close though.” “I feel offended. I thought we were close now.” A voice spoke from behind and both girls looked back. It was Matteo. “Here, you left your book.” Matteo said and handed the book over to her. “You’re Maureen, right?” Matteo said, his right hand stretched out for a handshake. “I guess I’m quite popular. Nice to meet you, Matteo. Aria here was just saying nice things about you, so I believe both of you are quite close now.” Maureen said, taking the gesture.

The rest of the world disappeared, leaving only us behind. Only the impossible, beautiful certainty that somehow—against all odds, despite every obstacle—the Goddess had chosen perfectly. The bond hummed between us, sealing something that had always been inevitable. 'Mine,' Axel growled, satisfied at last. 'Ours,' I corrected silently. And for the first time in longer than I could remember, everything felt exactly right.

The world didn't end. The office lights didn't flicker out. The building didn't collapse into a pile of dust and regret. In the quiet sanctuary of Damian's office, with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, the universe felt so perfectly, beautifully small. The whispered "I do" had been a confession, a surrender, a final, reckless leap into the unknown. It had been an act of faith. And in the moments that followed, with the city lights twinkling below them like a thousand shattered promises, it felt like the most right thing in the world. He had pulled her into his arms, a silent, profound relief washing over his face, and for a few blissful minutes, all the questions, all the fear, and

Just resignation. We stood there in the alley, the evening bleeding into darkness, while the future rearranged itself. My mind spun through the dominoes: two families, two armies, each with a hair-trigger, both convinced the other had fired the first shot. The outcome was so obvious it almost felt preordained. But then Alexander spoke again, the words so quiet I almost missed them: "We need to disappear for a few hours." I blinked. “Disappear?” “Yes.” “From both families?”

Maybe it could start in silence. Final Line: In the quiet between what was and what will be, the world finally remembered how to breathe — and so did we.

We have each other, the world should be kind and easy. THE END.