Blackheart

Kara Storm was content with her life.

She was single, independent and moderately successful, especially considering she was a college dropout.

"You're not a dropout, or a flunkie," her mother would say. "You're walking your own path, on your own journey."

She smiled at the sound of her mother's supportive encouragement bouncing around in her head and decided to call her. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, internally trying to hype herself up by agreeing with her mom.

She'd worked her way up at the café job she snagged as a teenager and now owned the place. She lived in a nice-ish apartment in a nice-ish part of town, central enough for her to have an active social life. Her relationship with her family was stable and, more often than not, positive. Yes, at 24 years old, all was well, she was doing well, she couldn't think of anything missing in her life.

Kara had one hand in her pocket and the other held her phone to her ear as she stood on the platform, waiting to board the subway.

The phone was on its third ring when she spotted him.

She knew immediately that this wasn't the first time she'd seen this person.

He stepped off the train she was about to board one or two doors down from where she stood. Was it chance that she just happened to glance to her right at that exact moment?

He wore a black hoody with a gray hood, loose fitting black jeans and white shoes. A dark brown backpack hung from his left shoulder and his hair -

"Helloooo? Kara? Honey, are you there?"

The sound of her mother's voice on the other end of the phone snapped her out of the daze she was in just in time for her to stumble onto the train.

"Sorry, mom," she gasped. "I almost missed my train."

Her mother chuckled. "That's alright. I hope everything is okay with you."

"Yes, everything is fine." She plopped into a seat. "Just heading home and thought i saw someone... Someone i knew."

She could almost hear her mother's ears perk up. "Oh ho, a gentleman, perhaps?"

Kara immediately regretted bringing it up. How could she have forgotten that, while she was content with her life, her family almost constantly prodded her about whether or not she had someone to share it with. And after who she'd spotted today and what she'd felt, maybe she wanted that too. Maybe she wasn't so content after all...

Cole felt the heavy weight of someone's eyes on him and glanced to his left just in time to see a mop of curly, raven hair disappear onto the train he'd just exited. He was a few rows down, but he saw her trip.

What a klutz, he chuckled.

The noisy grinding of the accelerating machine faded as he headed up the stairs of the subway, breathing in the crisp autumn air of the city at the top step.

It had to have been at least five years since his last visit to his stomping ground. He was taking in the city, noticing all the things that had changed and all that had stayed the same, when a pair of arms gruffly encircled his neck, pulling him into a hug.

"Cole, buddy!"

Cole twisted to sling his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Hey, Tyler!"

"What's it been, five years?! And all I get is a hey?!"

Cole playfully shoved his friend away. "You surprised me, what was I supposed to say?"

"Thought you were getting mugged?" Tyler winked.

"Maybe," Cole answered, squinting.

Tyler threw his head back and laughed. "Dude, I don't think anyone would be dumb enough to try and mug you. You look incredible, man. I see the personal trainer life suits you well."

"Yeah, yeah," Cole waved off the compliment, starting down the sidewalk in any direction, really.

"You'll have to show me the ropes in the gym, the secret to the sauce," Tyler said hurrying after him.

"I'd be happy to after I get settled in."

"Speaking of settling in," Tyler stopped walking and Cole followed suit, bracing himself for bad news.

Probably Tyler's lady didn't want him around or they didn't have space or they expected him to pay to stay or... he could feel the looming shadow of his insecurities creeping over his shoulder, its claws easing around his neck, prepared to strangle him. His hair stood on end.

His guilt about the fact that he hadn't told his friend why he was really back in town after such a long time felt like a dumbbell on his chest.

"You know my house is that way, right?" Tyler continued, tilting his head in the opposite direction.

Cole snapped back to reality; his emotions begrudglingly withdrew back to wherever he managed to keep them at bay.

He returned his friend's smile with an internal sigh of relief.

"Right."

Kara felt his presence before she saw him. He was trying to sneak up on her, but she heard the light click of the door opening and closing behind him followed by the soft padding of his feet, first on the stone floor and then across the ornate rug until he joined her at the window.

Anticipation built up in her chest at the sound of his approach and then pure bliss from the sensation of his hands wrapping around her waist from behind, pulling her into his chest in a soft hug.

She rested her hands on his and leaned into him, tilting her head to one side so he could kiss her temple.

They stood like that for a little while, silently enjoying the view together. The window stretched from floor to ceiling so they could see almost everything. It was night and the moon hung low and orange in the sky. The building they were in was at the top of a hill in a forest glade. Past the trees, the moon illuminated a small town.

Somehow, she knew where she was was exactly where she was meant to be and she felt peaceful. She felt at home. In this place... With this person...

His breath tickled her ear as he opened his mouth to say something. "Kara-"

Her eyes slowly fluttered open, greeted by the blinding sunlight. She was so lost in the dream, it took a moment to get her bearings but, slowly, she ascertained that she was in her room, practically sideways in bed, and she must've forgotten to close her blinds the night before.

Usually, she slept like the dead and only her alarm could wake her. She reached for her phone to see if her alarm had gone off, but couldn't see the screen because her eyes were too blurry. Were they blurry from sleep or...? Reaching up, she was surprised to find her cheeks wet with tears

The shimmers of the dream came back to her and she felt her body quake as though she were about to weep. But she couldn't understand why. She'd never cried from a dream before. Then again, she'd never felt that way in a dream before.

Utter happiness, complete euphoria almost.

Where was she? Who was she? She'd felt like herself, but also not herself since she herself had never experienced such emotions. And who was that man? She hadn't been able to see his face, but somehow she knew that he was everything to her and she felt like she was everything to him.

Her body broke out in goosebumps as she recalled the feeling of his breath on her ear, his lips on her temple, the sound of his voice calling her name.

It hadn't felt like a dream at all.

It felt like a memory.