Chapter 15 - A Familiar Kind of Fierce

Eliana's POV

I sat cross-legged on Mia's rooftop, hugging a cold soda can like it could protect me from what I was about to confess. 🥤

This rooftop had always been our safe zone—no judgment, just two girls, cheap chips, questionable choices, and dangerously unfiltered conversations. 🛋️🌌

The city lights shimmered below, but the storm that lived in my chest hadn't settled yet.

I took a deep breath.

And told Mia everything.

From the second we hung up the call yesterday…

The storm.

The panic.

The man in the rain.

The way he caught me before I fell.

His voice. His scent.

The fever.

Waking up in a strange room.

Realizing the man who held me like something fragile…

Was Hendrix freaking Parker. 😶‍🌫️

Oh—and also… that his bedroom window? Has a direct view of my balcony. 🧍‍♀️🔭🧍‍♂️

When I finally shut up, Mia just sat there.

Blinking.

Like I'd just told her I'd met an alien who moonlights as a K-drama lead. 👽🎬

And then—She leaned in, eyes wide.

"You spent the whole night with Hendrix?"

I nodded slowly.

"And wait—when you woke up… he was beside you? Did you—" she gasped,

"Eliana Benjamin, did you two share a bed?! Did something happen?!" 😱

I nearly choked on my soda. "Mia! No! I had a fever! He was on a chair, not the bed. And no—nothing happened!"

She narrowed her eyes. "But you kissed him."

"I—what?" My voice hit octaves I didn't know I had.

"You told me you fell and your lips touched his neck. That's technically a kiss."

"That's technically gravity abuse! Not a kiss!"

"What happened after the gravity kiss?"

I glared at her. "His mother called."

"Ooooh." Mia smirked. "Classic plot twist." 📞

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Mia, I just told you I nearly hit someone with my car, almost fainted on a public road, had a literal fever dream, and then saw my new house's balcony… from Hendrix's bedroom window."

She blinked. I went on.

"I was drenched, delusional, sick. And here you are, grilling me like I'm the lead in some spicy webtoon. Shouldn't you be asking if I'm okay?!"

She shrugged and popped a chip in her mouth. "You look more than okay to me." 😏

I stared at her.

She continued, totally unfazed,

"A stranger saves you from dying dramatically in the rain, holds you like you're the lost princess of a K-drama kingdom 👑, takes you to his house, takes care of you all night, and boom! You wake up, find out it's Hendrix freaking Parker—the man you fake-pregnanted at a café." 🍼☕

She pointed a chip at me for emphasis.

"Then you accidentally kiss his neck, see him cooking your favorite noodles with extra ketchup 🍝🍅, and he basically flirts like he invented the word simmer. And you're telling me this is a crisis?!"

I blinked. "...When you say it like that, it sounds like I hallucinated it."

She leaned back, smug. "If I had your week, I'd frame it."

"Mia, I'm serious."

"I am too. You got the rooftop rescue, a stormy night in, and cheese noodles from a man who looks like a walking Pinterest board. 📌 If this was a book, readers would be screaming in the comments."

I sighed.

Because as ridiculous as it sounded… she wasn't wrong.

And the worst part?

I didn't want it to stop.

The city hummed softly beneath us. The stars peeked out from between clouds. ✨

For once, I wasn't pretending to be someone I wasn't.

I was just… Eliana. Emotional. Confused. Maybe even a little enchanted. 🌠

"I think I want to change, Mia," I said quietly.

"Change how?"

"Not everything. Just… me. My look. My vibe. My whole pastel prison. I want to feel like myself again. The real me—not the version my parents dressed up like a doll." 🎀

She sat up, her expression softening. "You're serious?"

"Yeah. I want to look how I feel. Casual. Comfortable. Cozy. Like the girl who eats cheesy noodles in sweatpants, not the one forced into beige heels at brunch."

Mia grinned. "Then tomorrow—we shop. Hoodies, sneakers, real-deal comfy jeans. Maybe even a denim jacket with attitude." 🛍️👖👟

I smiled.

For the first time in forever, the storm inside me eased a little.

Because for the first time, I wasn't trying to run away from myself.

I was finally trying to meet her.

--------------------

Mia's POV

I was still rambling about sneakers and denim jackets when I realized she hadn't responded in a while.

"Eliana?"

Silence.

I turned—and there she was.

Asleep. 😴

Right there, mid-rooftop.

Arms tucked under her head like a makeshift pillow. Soda can still in hand.

Lips parted slightly, soft breaths escaping.

There was a tiny ketchup stain near the corner of her mouth from earlier, and her lashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks in the setting sun. 🍅💤

A little storm, finally at rest. 🌦️

I smiled. Quiet and unshaky.

She looked… peaceful. Like for once, the world wasn't pressing down on her.

She is my best friend. My disaster. My favorite kind of chaos. 💕

And somehow, even cuter when she is unconscious and not arguing with me about how fake-pregnancy announcements aren't romantic. 🙄

I leaned forward, arms resting on my knees, chip bag forgotten beside me. The breeze was cool, and the city below buzzed softly.

But up here—it felt still. Safe. 🏙️

And in that stillness, something hit me.

It wasn't just that Eliana was my best friend.

It was that… she reminded me of her.

Not in looks.

In spirit.

In fire.

She had the same kind of strength—the quiet kind.

The kind that doesn't roar or rage, but still refuses to break. 💪

I used to be soft too. Sensitive to the point of breaking.

I let people decide everything for me. What I should do. Who I should be.

When to speak. When to stay silent.

I thought keeping the peace meant sacrificing my voice. 😶

But she—She saw me.

Even back then, Eliana was like me. Always perfect. Always polished. Saying the right things, smiling at the right time.

But I knew. I saw the cracks.

Because sometimes—she broke character.

Like the first day we met.

Some guy was being an absolute jerk, and before I could even react, she exploded—fists clenched, voice sharp, fire in her eyes. 🔥

No hesitation. No fear.

She defended me. Loudly. Proudly. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

That was the moment I knew she wasn't perfect.

She was real.

And that made her more beautiful than any perfection could. 🌷

She reminded me of someone I used to know.

Someone who once stood up for me when I couldn't.

Someone who made the world feel less terrifying just by being there.

Someone who protected me when I didn't know how to protect myself.

Eliana has that same spark. That same untamed, hidden fire.

She just keeps it locked under years of forced smiles and "yes, Mom" and pastel outfits picked by someone else.

But I see her.

Every time she laughs too loud.

Every time she dances like nobody's watching. 💃

Every time she dreams like she actually believes she deserves more—

That's her.

That's the real Eliana.

The one I'd do anything for.

The one I promised myself I'd protect. 🩵

Because when she told me—really told me—that her life wasn't hers, that her choices weren't hers, that even her happiness had to be approved…

I remembered.

I remembered how that felt.

To have dreams locked in someone else's drawer.

To smile like everything was fine when everything was caving in. 😔

And I remembered how it felt…

To lose someone who once promised to always be there. 💔

I don't talk about her much.

Not because I've forgotten.

But because it still hurts.

But Eliana…

She makes me feel like I still have a sister.

Not by blood.

But by heart. 🫶

And I'm going to fight for her the way I couldn't before.

I'm going to help her live the life she wants.

One wild, messy, imperfect, magical day at a time. 🌈

Because she deserves it.

Because she's mine.

My person.

My sister.

My storm. ⛈️

And I won't let the world take her too.