Miki didn't go back to work after the rooftop conversation.
She told herself she needed fresh air. A walk. A moment.
But really, she just needed distance.
Not from Celeste.
From herself.
She walked through the nearby park, earbuds in but music off, her coffee still warm in her hands.
The trees were heavy with spring leaves, and the path was scattered with fallen petals. Children played nearby. Birds chirped. Everything was normal.
Except her heartbeat.
It was still off.
Still not hers.
"No, I'm not human."
The words echoed in her head like a stone skipping over water.
Celeste had said them so calmly. Like she wasn't admitting something impossible.
But it hadn't shocked Miki.
Not exactly.
Because deep down — she already knew.
No one could move like that. No one could stare like that. No one else had eyes that held centuries behind them.
Celeste didn't belong to this world.
But Miki… couldn't stop watching her.
She sat on a bench in the sun. Sipped her coffee. Tried to distract herself with a news article.
Failed.
Instead, she typed a note in her phone.
Celeste Lorrain
– Too still.
– Avoids mirrors.
– Wears gloves even indoors.
– Knew I was sick before I told anyone.
– Talks like a novelist from 1880.
She stopped typing.
Then, for some reason, added:
– Smells like old books and wine.
And then:
– I think she likes me.
She stared at that last line.
Deleted it.
Typed it again.
Didn't delete it.
Miki wasn't scared.
Not of Celeste.
But she was scared of the part of herself that leaned in when Celeste got too close. That listened when she laughed. That waited for her each day — in the café, at the rooftop, in silence.
She was scared of how much she wanted her to come back.
Not just for answers.
But for her.
Her phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
[Are you walking through the park near 6th?]
Miki blinked.
Another message came seconds later.
[Turn around.]
She turned slowly.
And there, across the path, in full daylight, holding a red umbrella and a coffee she wouldn't drink — stood Celeste.
Smiling like she had all the time in the world.