Stefan woke up with a sudden jolt, the unfamiliar ceiling above him stealing his breath for a second. His eyes darted to the window—daylight stread in, soft and golden. It was morning?
He blinked hard and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. "I was supposed to get up last night."
His mind scrambled to catch up with the ti he’d lost. The plan, the conversation, the search for Ruby—he had ant to just lie down for a few minutes, not the whole night. But sohow, his body had given in.
After splashing cold water on his face and brushing his teeth, he changed into a fresh shirt and jeans. His hair was still damp as he made his way downstairs, steps brisk but quiet.
The soft clink of a spoon against a mug reached his ears, followed by the faint aroma of coffee.
In the dining area, Ethan sat by the edge of the table, fingers loosely wrapped around his mug, eyes locked onto the phone in front of him. Again.
Stefan watched him for a few minutes and when Ethan still didn’t notice his presence, he cleared his throat.
Ethan’s head snapped up. "Oh. Hey, sleeping beauty finally woke up."
Stefan rolled his eyes but smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Rub it in."
"Man, I was starting to think you passed out from exhaustion." Ethan leaned back in his chair, sipping from the mug. "I told you to sleep, but you were all ’We talk tonight, then I’ll sleep’."
"Guess my body didn’t care what I planned," Stefan said, sliding into a seat. His gaze drifted to the phone in Ethan’s hand. "Still staring at that thing?"
Ethan looked down like he’d been caught cheating on a test. "What? No. Just—checking updates."
"Uh-huh." Stefan narrowed his eyes, grinning. "If I didn’t know better, I’d say you haven’t slept a wink. That phone’s been your second skin since I landed."
Ethan laughed lightly, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. "It’s... a girl."
"A girl?" Stefan leaned in, eyebrows raised. "Now that’s interesting."
"She’s soone I t a while ago," Ethan said with a shrug. "I thought we clicked. I took her number last week. She seed open, you know? I called. She didn’t answer. Sent a ssage. No reply. It’s been six days now and she won’t respond or call back."
"Ouch," Stefan said with a low whistle. "So, you’ve just been... waiting?"
Ethan nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching with sothing like embarrassnt. "Yeah. I know, it sounds dumb."
Stefan laughed, shaking his head. "No, not dumb. Just sad. If she’s not calling back, then maybe she’s just not into you, man. Save yourself the heartbreak."
"It’s not that easy," Ethan muttered.
"Sure it is," Stefan argued. "How long have you known her?"
Ethan sipped his coffee before answering. "t her when I ca to Zeden... six months ago."
Stefan blinked. "Wait. You’re chasing a girl from Zeden while living here in Florittle?"
"No, that’s the most interesting part," Ethan said, straightening in his chair. "She lives here. She didn’t give her contact info back then. But last week—I saw her. At a grocery store. She was shopping like she was pregnant, only... she wasn’t."
That made Stefan pause. "So... you’re saying she just looked pregnant?"
"Yeah. Like, the kind of cravings soone pregnant would have. Chocolate, pickles, lemon soda, instant foods. All in one bag."
"Maybe she was just hungry?" Stefan offered, but Ethan shook his head.
"I don’t know, maybe. But I really like her. I an I felt a connection, man. Like... real. And I’m sure she felt it too."
Stefan tilted his head. "You sound convinced."
"Because I am." Ethan smiled, a little sad but still hopeful. "I know Rayna felt it too and is just playing hard to get. Maybe because of our one night stand."
Ethan was saying but Stefan’s body had already gone still when he heard that na—Rayna.
It rang in his ears like a bell he couldn’t place—familiar, distant, important.
"Rayna?" he repeated slowly.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. Why?" he asked, wondering why that is the only think Stefan was asking after all he said.
"I don’t know..." Stefan frowned, rubbing his chin. "That na sounds... very familiar."
He let the thought trail off, like a balloon slipping through his fingers. But then, just as quickly, a mory snapped into place like a puzzle piece.
"Wait a second," Stefan said, straightening in his seat. "Ruby’s best friend. Her na’s Rayna. And she lives here. In Florittle."
Ethan sat up. "So, you’re saying what exactly? That Ruby’s best friend is—"
"I don’t know," Stefan interrupted, eyes narrowing. "But maybe... just maybe, your Rayna and Ruby’s Rayna are the sa person."
Ethan burst out laughing. "Man, co on. There’s probably a thousand Raynas in Florittle. Don’t jump to conclusions."
"I’m not concluding," Stefan said sharply. "I’m just suspecting. Big difference."
He fell quiet again, digging through his thoughts.
And then another mory surfaced making another thread connect.
"Ethan, do you rember that girl you helped with a lawsuit case six months ago?"
Ethan frowned. "Yeah... why?"
"That girl you helped, she’s Rayna. Didn’t you check her blog before helping her out?"
"No," Ethan said, shaking his head. "I was going to but didn’t bother when I got the na of the person suing her. I knew the guy who was suing her, so I just called him directly and talked him down instead of going through the stress of going through her blog."
Stefan muttered, "Thought so."
Without another word, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through old ssages, heart racing with a feeling he couldn’t quite na.
A ssage Ruby had sent him months ago—back when he was still blind—flashed across the screen.
There it was: Rayna’s blog userna. The one he’d asked her to send him so he could forward to Ethan.
He copied it imdiately and opened Instagram, pasting it into the search bar. His fingers hovered above the screen for a second before he hit "Search."
Ethan leaned in. "What are you doing?" he asked, curious.
"Hold on," Stefan whispered, eyes locked on the loading screen.
The page loaded and then a profile appeared—Rayna’s profile.
Stefan stared at the pictures—clear, vibrant, unmistakable. A bright smile. Long black hair. Brown eyes that were warm and full of life. A face he had never seen until now, but sohow, felt like he’d always known.
He slowly turned the screen toward Ethan. His voice was quiet and intent as he asked, "Is this your Rayna?"
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