AFTER 21 DAYS

Xavier was alone — again.

As usual, he stepped into his apartment and was again met by a sense of solitude. Each footstep echoed through the quiet place; the sound was so loud that it synced with the emptiness in the air. The apartment felt different now; it felt incomplete. Everything was as he had left it. He left the place the same, but he knew deep inside his heart that he returned not the same anymore. He knew that something was missing.

He left a part of him at Bay West Road.

Twenty-one days was all it took for Xavier to know what spending a lifetime with the person he loved felt like. Xavier only took a limited amount of time to experience many emotions and learn things he had yet to learn.

Isaiah's presence somehow became ordinary to Xavier. The familiarity is there. It was… natural. The sensation of her closeness to him, the sound of her voice calling him, their silly exchanges, and their whispers during the silent hours of the night had all blended into his life as if it were a habitual routine.

But after that act was over, they parted their separate ways.

And now, there was no one to welcome him home.

No one to dedicate his cooking to and share meals with.

No one to tuck to bed and sleep beside him at night.

And he missed everything now that he was alone once more. All he could recall were those moments, those small solaces that came only from her presence. And he would undoubtedly do it again in a heartbeat if given the chance.

"Hmm, this still needs a little bit of salt," Isaiah told Xavier as soon as she tasted his cooking.

Xavier scratched his head because of another failure in his cooking. It's been the fourth day of their mission, but he still has yet to learn how to cook. He had never been a great cook, to begin with, but being the one who was assigned to be surveillance around the neighborhood, he had to be the one to do house-husband chores, which also included cooking.

"Strange, but I only did what the book says," Xavier replied, looking at his cooking. Holding the recipe book in his hand, he tried thinking of the process he did. He then placed his finger under his chin, wondering where everything went wrong. That cooking wasn't supposed to end up that way.

"Are you sure you can cook?" she said out of laughter. Xavier just took a deep breath.

He had tried to follow instructions, but something or somewhere in the process, things had always gone wrong. He needed to figure out where, whether it was the temperature, timing, or ingredients. Xavier sighed in defeat.

"Maybe I still need to read many books to learn how to cook properly." He looked at her, resigned, giving up for now, but not enough to stop him from learning to cook. "I promise I'll do my best next time."

Isaiah chuckled. Xavier is determined to learn how to cook. "If you want to learn, I'll teach you how to make this one."

He walked over to the bookshelves, intending to find something to distract himself. But as he looked at the rows of books, his mind was immediately drawn back to Isaiah.

Some of the books on those shelves were ones she had bought for him. Books about 'Claw Machines' and 'How to Catch a Plushie' were there. Just seeing the spines of the books reminded him of their shared conversation. Then, his eyes fell on the book Isaiah gave him.

He ran a hand over the spine of the book, his fingers tracing along the titles almost wistfully.

"Xavier? I'm home." Xavier heard Isaiah calling from the living room. She's finally back after reporting from the Hunter's Association. He immediately put down the rag he'd been using to dry the dishes and wiped his wet hands on his trousers.

"I'm here in the kitchen," he called back, his voice echoing through the apartment. He made his way over to the living room, greeting her with a smile.

"Welcome home," he said as he walked towards her to get the grocery supplies she had bought. "Have you bought the vinegar I asked you to?"

"Yes, it's in there." She replied.

"Hmm, I wonder what took you so long to respond," Xavier said as he went to the kitchen and filled the fridge with food supplies.

Isaiah smiled. "You'll know later."

As usual, Xavier cooks food while Isaiah prepares what they need for dinner.

After living with her for almost two weeks, Xavier knows her likes and dislikes. She doesn't like Shiitake Mushrooms. She wants her carrots shredded instead of cut. And she likes potatoes a lot. He also learned that Isaiah isn't a fan of gingers. She always leaves the pieces of gingers out of her plate whenever she sees one.

After eating dinner together and discussing what happened in their day, Isaiah suddenly remembers the book she bought as she returned home.

"A Walk to Remember?" Xavier opened the book and looked at its contents.

"Yeah. I saw you reading a romance novel last time. When I saw this book, it reminded me of your fascination with books, and I bought it for you." she answered.

Xavier felt his heart flutter. He wasn't used to being given a gift by someone before. "Thank you," he said, looking back with appreciation at the gift he had received.

"Is this the reason why it took you time to reply? I was already getting worried when you hadn't texted back." He looked at the book's pages some more; Xavier couldn't help but smile with the gesture. The fact that she had taken the time to pick out a book that she thought he would like meant a lot to him.

She nodded in reply. "By the way, thank you for the constant flowers every day, Xavier," Xavier heard Isaiah say, his heart skipping a beat at the mention of the flowers.

"Oh, those..." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. "It was something I wanted to do for you. I'm happy you liked it."

However, the truth is that Xavier gave her the flowers as a discreet way of saying he loved and appreciated her. Every day, he selected different kinds of flowers whose meanings aligned with his emotions. Imagining how she would react when she received the flowers made Xavier happy.

But Xavier knew better. He couldn't openly declare his growing love, so he turned to the language of flowers to express his feelings.

Looking at her, he wondered if she had realized the meaning of each kind of flower he had given her.

When the night fell, Xavier went to bed, hoping to find peace of mind. He was lying there in the dark, though, and it all seemed pointless.

He tried to clear his thoughts, to tell himself again that those days of pretending were over. But the memory of her being beside him, her soft breathing, made it difficult to ignore the growing feelings inside him.

With a soft sigh, he leaned against the pillows and closed his eyes. Despite his best efforts, his mind raced, and he could not stop thinking about Isaiah. No matter how hard he tried, he felt as though sleep was evading him.

Xavier woke up in the middle of the night. It was strange since it wasn't like him to wake up suddenly while sleeping. About to delve back into sleep, he heard a faint sound of somebody's whimper.

He didn't mind at first until he heard it again. This time, it was accompanied by rustling sheets from the bed where Isaiah slept.

"No, no..." Xavier heard Isaiah's whimper. It alerted him. It's been the second time he saw her suffering from a nightmare.

He quietly got off the couch and made his way to the bed. As he came closer, Xavier noticed the furrowed brow and rapid movement of her eyes beneath the closed eyelids. It was a nightmare—again.

"Hey, wake up," he said softly, gently shaking her shoulder to wake her up, only to end up in vain. She kept on mumbling in her sleep with a pain on her face.

He gently shook her shoulder again, a little bit harder this time. "Isaiah, wake up. You're having another nightmare."

Her eyes suddenly woke up with a look of pure terror. Xavier let out a sigh of relief. As he looked at her traumatized state, he felt a pang of sympathy.

"Xavier?"

As he heard his name, he had a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright?" Xavier asked her as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's been the second time I saw you having nightmares."

Isaiah shook her head. "No."

Seeing how she was bothered about it, Xavier looked concerned. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep. It's another bad dream, isn't it?"

When she nodded, he continued, "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head once again. "I'm alright, Xavier. You don't have to worry about it."

He knew she was anything but alright, but he also knew better than never to ask further, which could trigger her nightmare into something more traumatic.

"Alright, just take a deep breath. Calm down. It was nothing but a dream." Xavier said in assurance.

"Okay," Isaiah replied as she readied herself to go back to sleep. Xavier tucked her into the bed before returning to the couch.

"Go back to sleep now. You'll be alright." Xavier gave her a reassuring smile. He was glad that you feel a bit calmer now than before.

"I'll be on the couch when you need me," he said, standing up to return to his couch. But before Xavier could walk away, Isaiah grabbed his hand.

Xavier stopped as soon as he felt Isaiah's hand wrapped around his. A look of surprise was evident in his face.

"Hmm?" he said, his gaze meeting hers. Isaiah looked away, unsure of what she had to say.

Xavier noticed something still bothered her, but he couldn't tell what.

"Are you still shaken up by the nightmare you had?"

"A bit." She replies in a mumble. Xavier got worried once again.

"Do you want a glass of milk?" Xavier asked her as he sat down at the edge of the bed again. When she shook her head, he asked again, "Is there anything I could do to help you sleep?"

Isaiah didn't know how to say it without misinterpreting it. She just hoped that it wouldn't give him a wrong expression.

"Could you... sleep beside me tonight?" she finally dared ask.

Xavier blushed a little. Then, his expression softened at her request. It must have been that bad of a nightmare she saw that made her this shaken up. "If you allow me to,"

Isaiah then nodded in reply. "I trust you."

"Alright," he replied, gently squeezing her hand before scooting down the bed beside her.

As soon as he settled in, he watched as Isaiah tried to go back to sleep. "Is this okay? Are you comfortable?"

Isaiah hummed in approval, and she closed her eyes, finding comfort in his presence. He could feel her trying to shake off the nightmare and relax against him, and he was glad he was there.

"Xavier?"

"Yeah?" he asked softly, looking at her almost closed eyelids.

"Thank you." Xavier felt his heart well and felt warmth as he saw her smile.

"Try to go back to sleep. I'll be right here." She nodded, burying her head in the pillows, and tried to catch some sleep.

Xavier watched as she peacefully drifted to sleep, her breathing this close. They do sleepovers in each other's houses, but Xavier knows where his boundaries are. Being beside her this close was a first.

He can see every detail: her soft eyelashes, her face as soon as she falls asleep, and the faint sound of her breathing.

Without thinking, he gently ran his fingers through her hair, his touch light as a feather, so careful not to wake her up. The feeling made him feel something he couldn't even identify.

With a contented sigh, he whispered. "Sleep well, Isaiah."

And he joins her into slumber.

Xavier was worried beyond belief. Since that point, it has bothered him, making him worried about her well-being. He was aware that she was troubled by nightmares all the time, even while she slept. Or, if not a nightmare, she was suffering from insomnia.

He kept thinking about what would happen if she had another nightmare, and he was not there to comfort her or support her through it. In those frightening and distressing moments, who could she turn to?

Ever since nightmares started to visit her, Xavier had to make sure that Isaiah would have a good and decent sleep; he promised to be there for her through the scary visions that haunted her dreams.

Every night, he would lay next to her and cover her with his arms in a reassuring embrace while reading aloud from a book. He used to lull her to sleep with soft strokes of her hair and comforting whispers. Xavier has been by her every night, wishing her a good night before she drifted off to sleep.

"When Landon held the book, he looked at Jaime and started to read, 'Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish.'" Xavier reads the book softly as if telling a child a nighttime story. While his right hand held the book, his other hand was wrapped around her shoulder.

Isaiah was lying comfortably beside him, her eyelids slightly closed. The sound of her breathing echoed in his ears, her hand wrapped around Xavier's. "' Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, trust, hope, and endure whatever comes.' Hmm… If this man didn't fall in love with her, I wonder what path he would choose."

But Xavier heard no response. When he looked at her, he was met by a sleeping Isaiah. Xavier heard her dozing off, so he stopped reading the story aloud.

He chuckled at the sleepyhead beside him. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he closed the book and looked down at her, his hand still in her sleep. Isaiah looked so peaceful and contented, completely oblivious to the world.

His touch was light and loving as he kissed her head. He murmured, "Sleep well, sleepyhead."

"Our mission is over… are we still pretending? Or is it real?" Isaiah softly asked Xavier as he pulled away from their shared kiss.

Xavier leaned away for a bit, his eyes locking with hers. He ran a hand through her hair; his expression was soft and gentle but serious. Xavier remained silent momentarily, his lips still close to hers, their breaths mingling.

Then he smiled.

His lips moved gently across her face, and each kiss felt tender. He planted a kiss on her eyebrows, his lips barely brushing against them, then moved his way down to the tip of her nose. His kisses were soft and warm against her skin, each like a gentle caress.

"I am not pretending," Xavier breathed against her lips. "I wanted to do this for a long time."

Isaiah remained silent as she listened to his words. And even if she won't say anything, Xavier knew her well. He can feel her heartbeat syncing with his.

He wanted to continue that path down to her cheeks until he reached her lips again. "And it's only something I can do when seeing someone I like face-to-face."

And then, at last, Xavier planted a soft, feathery kiss on her lips. With every slow, tender kiss, Xavier was savoring every second. His hand cupped her face, his firm yet delicate touch releasing all the emotions he'd kept inside as he pressed the kiss closer. It was the kind of affection full of love, a silent pledge of something more than pretending.

"Are you talking as Xavier, the writer, or Xavier, my mission partner?"

Xavier was silent, his eyes fixed on hers. There was a look of wonder in his eyes as if he were realizing the weight of his real feelings for her. Xavier knew what it was; it was the love he wanted to last forever. And from that moment, he never wanted to lose her again. Not again.

"Xavier. Just Xavier."

Isaiah stayed silent as he pulled away from her. Her eyes looked at him with wonder, and Xavier took this as a sign to continue.

"If you're going to say everything that happened here doesn't count once we leave this house… would you stay here with me forever?"

He saw how Isaiah felt silent, a crimson blush on her cheeks. He finally said the words he wanted to say. "Whether you're a salesperson, neighbor, or mission partner… I want you to be my everything."

Like the entwined shadows in the middle of the night, their emotions are in harmony, and their hearts beat as one. There is no need for words to tell how fast his heart beat at that moment—and probably, so was she. And in between their shared breaths, he finally said, almost whispering.

"Every version of me belongs to you… and only you."

They went on their separate lives after that.

Now, back in the quiet solitude of his own house, Xavier has never felt this empty. It was like another half of his life had vanished in the wind. Something was lacking in his life, and it felt… lonely.

The silence was deafening, contrasting with the companionship he felt while living with her.

Xavier sighed once again. His eyes drifted around the room. Everywhere he looked, it always reminded him of Isaiah.

The sight of the book she bought for him reminded him of the night he read it to her, and she fell asleep. The wilting flowers in the vase made him remember the first bouquet he ever gave her and the smile Isaiah gave him at his small gesture of love. And the light of the night made him go back to the memory that seemed to echo the feelings of their entwined hearts.

Every little thing around him served as a reminder of their twenty-one days together. Xavier missed every bit of that memory: the laughter, the comfort – everything.

Xavier went out to take a walk, appreciating the beauty of the city of Linkon at night. He would be lying if his intention was just to appreciate the city's image at night. It has also been his way of clearing his mind.

On his way home, Xavier held a fresh bouquet in his hand and wondered why he had bought it. He remembered that roses were Isaiah's favorite flowers.

But then, was it coincidence or fate? Xavier didn't know.

It was like one of the books Xavier read about meeting each other again. It is as if the light brings them together once more. He sees Isaiah outside the door of his apartment, waiting for him to return home, with a grocery bag and a newly purchased book in her hands.

Isaiah then looked at him, a look of surprise, longing, and happiness in her eyes as she saw Xavier standing outside his door.

Sheila Burke was right. "There are no accidental meetings between souls."

"Xavier," Isaiah greeted.

Xavier gave her a loving smile as he approached her.

"Welcome home, Isaiah."

THE END