The Blur Beneath the Lights
London was gray and bright all at once — rain hanging in the air like breath on glass, while the city lights glimmered through it like scattered memories.
Lex stepped out of the black car, heels clicking against the marble floor of the hotel lobby. She adjusted the collar of her coat, sharp and composed, every step measured.
The boardroom was on the 33rd floor.
Sky was already inside, pouring coffee, his face unreadable behind charm. Siddharth nodded at her politely. The meeting was standard: financials, expansion talks, European strategy.
But Lex wasn't really there.
Something tugged at the edge of her mind — like she was forgetting something important.
After the Meeting
The rain had lightened. Lex stepped outside for a break, craving air, or maybe distance.
That's when she saw her.
Across the street. Under a red umbrella. Laughing with a friend.
The girl turned, briefly — and Lex froze.
Her heart skipped.
Short brown hair. A faint scar above her eyebrow. That exact tilt of the head, like she was always trying to listen harder than anyone else.
Lex didn't move.
It was impossible. She hadn't thought of her in years. Or maybe she had — only in pieces. In dreams. In those blurry spaces between sleep and morning.
Muri
The name came back like breath hitting cold glass. Soft. Faint. Real.
Lex blinked — and the girl was already turning away, walking into the crowd.
She stepped forward, instinct pulling at her feet — but someone called behind her.
"Lex! The car's here."
Sky.
She looked back across the street.
Gone.
Back at the Hotel
Later that night, Lex stood at the window of her hotel room, watching the lights blur through the rain.
Her fingers pressed to the glass, as if it could bring her closer to that memory.
That night. That room. That girl.
A fire escape. Fingers touching under fairy lights. A kiss they didn't talk about the next day. The feel of rain on her neck. The promise of something real that vanished before it could become anything at all.
She whispered the name, just to hear it.
"Muri"
Behind her, Sky stepped into the room, shirt half-unbuttoned, hair damp from the shower. He paused.
"You okay?" he asked, voice gentler than usual.
Lex didn't turn around. "Do you ever remember something and wonder if it was real... or just a dream you convinced yourself actually happened?"
Sky walked closer. "You saw someone today."
She nodded slowly.
"I don't know if it was really her. But for a second…" She swallowed. "I felt seventeen again. Like something unfinished reached out and grabbed me."
Sky was quiet for a moment. Then:
"Do you want to find her?"
Lex turned her head slightly. "Would you come with me if I did?"
Sky met her eyes. "You already know the answer."