I had been in the shower for the past ten minutes, enjoying the hot water. Wrapping up my hair, I hurried to get dressed. Wanda was going to help me slip out today though she was reluctant about it. I knew it was a bad idea to roam about unprotected but I had to see Aiden once. 

It was important. I couldn't stand not seeing him when he was so close. Today was the only day I would do that and then I would try to forget about him. I knew no one would understand but I needed to see him. I couldn't stand the separation much longer. 

Wanda met me at the kitchen door looking troubled. I had loathed to ask her for this favour, but it wasn't like I had many choices. 

"Hey," I said. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you helping me Wanda." 

She smiled briefly and nodded. 

"Just don't make me regret doing so by getting hurt." 

I took a deep breath and slipped out through the wards while she muttered incantations under her breath. If you tried to slip through the normal wards, it felt like you had hit a solid brick wall with no way out. But now with Wanda's spells, the air around me shimmered and distorted. I could feel the magic pressing at my sides, but it allowed me to pass through. 

I walked out into Tresville's market after weeks and took a deep breath. I searched around, but I couldn't find Aiden anywhere. Frantically, I searched about all over the town only to come up empty-handed. I tried to calm down and breathed in his scent. To a Carthan, it was often possible to distinguish smells of someone if we concentrated hard enough. 

I inhaled in deeply and finally caught a faint smell- traces of Aiden and another human. I presumed it must be the blonde. I pursued it all over the town and finally arrived at the train station. I looked all around, my heart sinking. 

Aiden and the blonde were nowhere to be seen. They must have left. I felt my heart breaking into a million pieces. He had been so near me once again but we were separated yet again. I didn't even get a chance to meet him, to talk to him. I know it was probably safer from him to be gone, but I didn't have the courage to face this all over again. But I knew I would have to do it somehow. I couldn't just give up no matter how hard it felt.

All the suffering and pain we went through just meant that we were alive to experience all the joys and sorrows of life. I briefly thought of the Selzers, their hearts filled with hatred. I couldn't live like that. I was stronger than that.

I sat down on the platform and put my arms around myself. I breathed in deeply again to remember his scent, so I would not forget. Suddenly, I snapped my head up as smelled another familiar scent. Curious, I decided to follow it. 

I stood a few steps away from the scent trying to recognise it. And then I saw him. It was Yves standing not more than two metres away from me.