Page 172 of Rose
“Art is what pulled me out of the dark. It’s what reminded me that I was still here. Still worthy. Still—”
Her words caught. She blinked. Once. Twice. There. Near the back of the crowd. A man. Not just any man.
Him. William.
Not a hallucination. Not paranoia. Not some ghost from her trauma playing tricks on her.
This wasreal.
His smile cut through the crowd like a blade—gentle, familiar, cruel. The world didn’t stop. It gotlouder. Her breathing hitched. Everything blurred.
“Shug… you good?” A’Mazi whispered, glancing over and catching the tear that slipped down her cheek. He followed her gaze but saw nothing. No one.
Ahzii stepped back from the mic. Her hand trembled as her heart pounded like it wanted to break free from her chest.
Without a word, she turned and rushed off the stage.
Gasps and murmurs followed her as she shoved past the curtains and down the hallway. She burst into the bathroom, bracing the edge of the sink, her breaths ragged and uneven.
“Get it together,” she whispered to herself, voice cracking. “He’s gone. He’sgone.”
But her reflection said otherwise. Hollow eyes. Haunted stare. Because deep down… part of her wasn’t so sure anymore.
Ahzii rushed inside one of the stalls, legs pulled to her chest, trying to convince herself that what she saw wasn’t real. Her hands trembled, clutching the sides of her dress, nails digging into the fabric.
Suddenly, the bathroom door creaked open, then clicked shut with a solidlock.
She barely registered the footsteps.
“Beautiful…” a familiar voice echoed, soft, deep, and laced in something that sent a chill through her.
Her breath caught.
“No. No, it’s not you. Itcan’tbe you,” she cried through clenched teeth, her voice muffled by the metal walls.
“Open the door,” he said calmly.
Something in her body moved before her mind could stop it. She stood on autopilot, unlocked the latch, and slowly pushed the door open—
And there he was.
William.
He didn’t look burned. Didn’t look wounded. Didn’t look like death had ever touched him. He looked just like the man she saidI doto. The man she once laid beside, dreaming of a forever that never came. Something about him had changed—sharper eyes, a weight in his presence—
But it was him.
It wasreallyhim.
Before she could even process the storm raging inside her, her body moved. She threw her arms around him, pulling him into a trembling hug, her breath collapsing in his neck.
“Hey, Beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her lips as if no time had passed.
For a second—just a second—she melted.
But reality came crashing back like cold water.
“No… no. Sorry. I—I’m with someone. I—I can’t—” she stammered, eyes wide, backing up like she was trying to physically distance herself from the chaos in her chest.
