Kent pushed through the noisy crowd in the bar, his heart racing as he kept his eyes fixed on Gaesha.
The hum of voices and clinking glasses filled the air, but all he could hear was the soft echo of her song still lingering in his mind.
He stepped closer, his throat tight. "Gaesha," he said, his voice quiet, almost swallowed by the chatter around them.
She spun around, her eyes wide with shock, like she couldn't believe he was standing there.
"Kent?" Gaesha's voice trembled, and she took a small step back. "You're here? In this bar? How in the world did you even find me? I didn't tell anyone I'd be here."
"Yeah, I'm here," Kent said, shoving his hands deep into his pockets, trying to keep his nerves steady. "I saw you up there, Gaesha, on that little stage. I couldn't believe it was really you at first. I just… I had to come find you."
Gaesha's face crumpled, and she quickly swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, trying to hide the tears welling up.
"Oh no," she whispered, her voice so soft it barely reached him. "You heard me sing? That sad, awful song? I didn't want anyone to hear that, Kent. It was just for me, something to let it all out. I didn't want you to see me like this."
"I did hear it," Kent said, taking another step closer, his voice gentle but sure. "It wasn't awful, Gaesha. Not even close. It was sad, yeah, but it was so beautiful. Your voice… it hit me right here." He tapped his chest, right over his heart, his eyes soft and warm. "It made me feel everything you were feeling. It was like you were singing straight to me."
Gaesha stared at the floor, her shoulders slumping like she was carrying the weight of the world.
"I'm sad, Kent," she said, her voice cracking as she spoke. "That's all I am right now. Just sad, all the time. Please, just go. I don't want you to see me like this, all messy and broken. I can't stand it."
"No way," Kent said, shaking his head firmly. "I'm not going anywhere, Gaesha. I'm staying right here. I need to know why you stopped everything. Why you shut me out like that. Why you just disappeared from my life."
Gaesha blinked, her brows knitting together in confusion. "Stopped what?" she asked, her voice small and uncertain. "What are you talking about, Kent? I don't understand."
"Us," Kent said, his voice steady but soft, like he was afraid of scaring her off. "You and me, Gaesha. The way things were. And that note you left. The one that broke my heart into a million pieces when I read it."
Gaesha froze, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes widened, and she looked like she might bolt any second.
"You're wrong, Gaesha," Kent said. "Everything you wrote in that note? It's not true. You're not what you think you are. You're not some broken thing that nobody wants."
"No, I am," Gaesha snapped, her voice sharp now, cutting through the air. "I'm a mess, Kent. A total wreck. Look at me! I'm falling apart, and I can't drag you down with me. You deserve someone better, someone who's got it together, not someone like me who's barely holding on."
"You're not a mess," Kent said, stepping so close she could feel the warmth of him, like a shield against the cold inside her. "You're you, Gaesha. That's enough for me. I need you in my life, with your messy hair, your big heart, your everything. Don't you get that? I don't want someone else. I want you."
Gaesha shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks, leaving wet trails on her skin.
"No, Kent," she said, her voice breaking, each word heavy with pain. "You don't need me. You think you do, but you don't. I'm leaving. I have to go, start over somewhere else, somewhere I won't hurt anyone I care about. Somewhere I can just be alone and not mess things up."
"Gaesha, wait," Mia said, stepping forward from the booth where she'd been watching, her voice calm but firm. "Don't run off like this. Talk to him. Kent's here because he cares about you. He came all this way to find you. That means something, doesn't it?"
"No," Gaesha said, her voice hard but trembling, like she was fighting to keep herself together.
She pushed past Kent, her shoulder brushing against his arm, and bolted for the door.
The cold Paris night swallowed her as she disappeared, leaving only the echo of her footsteps.
Kent stood frozen, his heart heavy, like a stone sinking in his chest.
"She's gone," he whispered, his voice so soft it barely carried. "I lost her, Mia. She's really gone."
Mia walked over, her boots clicking on the wooden floor, her face full of quiet determination.
"She's not gone, Kent," she said, resting a hand on his arm. "She's just scared. Really, really scared. You saw it in her eyes, didn't you? She's running because she doesn't know what else to do. But you can still fix this. I know you can."
"How?" Kent asked, turning to Mia, his voice small and desperate, like a kid who'd lost his way. "How do I fix this when she won't even talk to me? She just ran out that door, Mia. She doesn't want to hear me. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Chase her," Ben said, leaning forward in the booth, his voice steady and sure. "Don't let her go like that, Kent. Go after her, right now. Show her you mean every word you said. Show her you're not giving up, no matter how fast she runs."
Kent nodded, his jaw tight, his eyes burning with determination. He didn't say anything else.
He turned and ran out the door, his coat flapping behind him as he plunged into the chilly Paris night, his heart pounding with every step.
Outside, the street was quiet, with only a few people strolling under the soft glow of streetlights.
The air was crisp, biting at Gaesha's skin as she hurried away, her breath puffing out in little clouds.
Her yellow sweater stood out like a splash of sunlight in the dark, but inside, her heart felt heavy, gray, and cold.
She didn't know Kent was behind her, his shoes slapping hard against the pavement as he ran, his breath coming in sharp, desperate bursts.
"Gaesha!" Kent called, his voice echoing down the empty street, raw and full of need.
She was too far to hear, her steps quick and unsteady, her mind a blur of fear and pain. Kent kept running, the cold stinging his face, but he didn't care.
He didn't care about the people staring as he passed, or the way his coat kept catching in the wind.
All he cared about was reaching Gaesha, catching her before she slipped away for good.
Back in the bar, Mia, Ben, and Lila stayed huddled at the booth, the hum of chatter and clinking glasses wrapping around them like a warm blanket.
Lila leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her voice soft and worried.
"Do you think he'll catch her?" Lila asked, glancing at the door. "I mean, Gaesha was running pretty fast, like she didn't want to be found."
"I hope so," Mia said, twisting a napkin in her hands, her fingers restless. "Gaesha needs him, even if she won't admit it to herself. She's been so lost lately, like she's carrying all this weight and doesn't know how to put it down."
"She's so stubborn," Ben said, shaking his head with a small, fond smile. "Always has been, ever since we were kids. But you can tell she loves Kent. It's in the way she looks at him, even when she's mad or pushing him away. It's like her heart's screaming it, even if her mouth won't say it."
"Yeah," Lila agreed, nodding slowly, her eyes distant. "And Kent loves her too. You can see it in the way he ran after her, like nothing else in the world matters."
Gaesha's song still echoed in Kent's head as he ran through the quiet streets, the words—"La vie en rose"—twisting around his heart.
They made him think of her smile, the one she used to flash at him all the time, bright and warm, like it could light up the whole world.
That smile made everything feel right, like the sun was always shining. He missed it so much.
He missed her laugh, the way it bubbled up like she couldn't hold it in, so full of life.
He missed her messy hair, always falling in her face, and the way she'd brush it back with an impatient little huff.
He missed the way she'd hug him so tight, like she never wanted to let go, her arms strong and sure.
"I'm not letting you go," Kent said to himself, his voice fierce, his breath puffing out in the cold air. "Not now, not ever, Gaesha."
The bar's warm lights were far behind him now, and the night felt big and empty, like it could swallow him whole.
Up ahead, Gaesha turned a corner, her steps slowing as her chest heaved, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
She was tired, her legs heavy, her eyes still wet with tears that wouldn't stop falling. She didn't know where she was going—just away.
Away from the pain that clung to her, away from the note she'd left behind, away from the love she was too scared to hold onto, afraid it would break her even more.
Kent caught sight of her again, her yellow sweater glowing under a streetlight like a beacon in the dark, calling him forward.
"Gaesha!" he shouted, his voice louder this time, raw with desperation, cracking under the weight of everything he felt.
She didn't turn, didn't even flinch, her steps still carrying her forward, but Kent kept going, his heart pounding so hard it hurt, each beat screaming her name.
He didn't stop. He couldn't. Gaesha was his everything—his best friend, his partner, his home.
He had to tell her she wasn't a mess, not to him. She was his rose, his pink life, his love.
He'd keep running until she heard him, until she understood that he wasn't going anywhere, no matter how far she tried to run.
"Gaesha, please," Kent called again, his voice breaking as he closed the gap between them, his throat tight with emotion. "Just stop for a second. Talk to me. I'm not giving up on you, not ever."
Gaesha slowed, her shoulders hunching, her hands clenched at her sides, but she didn't turn around.
Kent pushed himself harder, his breath ragged, his legs burning. He was so close now, close enough to see the way her hands were shaking, the way her whole body seemed to tremble.
He didn't know if she'd listen, didn't know if she'd let him in, but he knew he'd never forgive himself if he didn't try with everything he had.
"Gaesha," Kent said one last time, softer now, his voice thick with hope and fear as he reached out, his fingers brushing the air just behind her. "Please, just hear me out. You're everything to me."