Page 34 of Our Little Moments

She smiles back. “You’ll find people like that, Stella. I’m sure of it.”

My heart warms at the conviction in her voice. “What about me made you want to spend your time with me?”

Hazel’s eyes meet mine. “I don’t spend time with a lot of people because it causes me anxiety. I spend my time with you because you . . . make me feel less alone. It’s like you see things about me only Nate has ever noticed, and he saw them because we grew up together. Your perceptiveness amazes me and . . .” Hazel sighsheavily. “Maybe I’m a little lost too. Maybe I need someone to show me things about myself I didn’t see before. Plus, it’s easy to talk with you because I know you struggle just as much with social interactions as I do, and it makes the struggle feel . . . lighter, since I’m not alone in it.”

Her words wrap around my heart, holding me tight.Of course, I’ll be your friend. I won’t let you miss just how amazing you are, I promise.

“You know,” Hazel says again, “when I first saw you, you reminded me of a flower waiting to bloom. You had a look in your eyes, like you were looking for something to hope for. I still remember thinking,This girl looks like it’s been raining all her life and she just needs a bit of sunlight.” She stays quiet for a bit before looking at me, apologetically. “Sorry for the flower metaphor. I tend to make weird metaphors with them.”

But it’s precisely how I felt that night. Lost, hopeless, and lonely.

I had been looking for light, for something to hope for, for my own kind of happiness.

Here, sitting on the floor with take-out food Hazel decided to share with me and easy laughter, I realize just how simple joy can be.

Chapter 13

Stella

Ileave Hazel’s flower shop with a smile and head straight to the town library where Layla and I planned to meet.

As soon as I step inside, I’m hit with a memory of the temple where I used to compete. The library is enormous, with a roof that feels like it touches the sky. Sunlight streams through tall windows, pouring warm golden light over everything. Endless shelves stretch in every direction, stacked high with books, and narrow staircases lead to even higher floors. It’s magical.

Layla spots me from the second floor and rushes down, grabbing my arm and pulling me along. I laugh at her excitement.

“Slow down!” I call out, stumbling as I try to keep up with her as we climb the stairs.

She doesn’t listen.

“Layla! I can’t keep up!” We tumble together onto the top of the stairs, laughing until we’re out of breath.

For a moment, we just sit there in comfortable silence.

“This is where I discovered my dream of writing,” she says quietly. We both sit down, leaning our back on the bookshelves. I realize that we’re in the rom-com section, where Layla hides away from the world. It feels so meaningful for her to bring me here.

She seems to guess that’s where my thoughts went.

“I still remember how I walked in these hallways the first time.” Layla smiles softly. “I can’t explain it, but in this exact spot, I felt apull. To that shelf right there.” She points to the shelf on our left. “It was like some magnetic force or something. I’d lost my magic at the time, and that pull felt exactly like my magic felt. It’s the weirdest thing to describe and . . .” She laughs quietly. “It sounds crazy when I say it out loud.”

I smile. “I get it. My powers felt the same way . . . before I lost them.”

Layla’s eyes are full of curiosity. “How did you use your magic back home? I mean, for me, it just happens naturally. The water moves with me. But I imagine fights would be pretty boring if that was how everyone competed.”

I nod. “Well, at first my magic came like yours. But the city I live in doesn’t view magic the same way you do here. It’s extremely rare for us to have magic, and it didn’t take a long time for me to feel the pressure. My parents always knew I was going to go far, but they never pushed me. They wanted me to be a kid.”

I pause, sighing.

“I had the best childhood. But Ididhave to grow up too fast. I didn’t get to be a teenager; I had to be more mature, to grow up. That’s when I joined the tournament. But I forgot that I was still a teenager and I was still naïve. The first fight I had wasbrutal. And I knew I had to step up if I wanted to help my family.”

I stop talking.

Crap. I hadn’t meant to say the last part.

“Training for the tournaments forces you to control your magic, to force it out, even when it doesn’t want to come.”

Layla gives me a sad smile. “I see now why you needed a break.”

“What?”

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