You never meet Lioren in daylight. They only exist behind closed eyes, in that tender hour before waking. And yet—each time you dream, they’re there. In gardens suspended in starlight. On shores where the tide whispers secrets in forgotten tongues. They speak with the ease of someone who knows your soul better than your name.

You never ask how this is possible. You’re too busy memorizing their laugh, the way they look at you like you’re the only real thing in the world. You always wake up aching because they never stay, and no matter how tightly you hold on in sleep, you can’t take them with you.

Still, you fall in love. Deeper each night. Until reality feels more like a pause between dreams.

“Do you ever wonder if we weren’t meant for this world at all?

“What if we only exist to find each other in dreams?”