A Declaration

The storm had finally retreated, leaving behind a city scrubbed clean and shimmering under a bruised dawn sky. Serena stood at her office window, the glass cool against her forehead, and watched the last vestiges of the tempest drain away. The air was still, heavy with the scent of wet earth and ozone. It was quiet. Almost too quiet.

Her phone buzzed on the desk, a jarring sound in the stillness. She didn't need to look to know who it was. Adrian. He had stayed, of course. He always stayed. He had watched her sleep last night, a silent sentinel in her living room, and then he had made coffee this morning, his presence a constant, unnerving weight in her small apartment.

She picked up the phone, her fingers brushing against the cool glass. "Hello?"