The pizzeria is quiet, dimly lit, the faint hum of old fluorescent lights casting soft shadows across the worn checkered floor. I'm standing alone by one of the arcade machines, my fingers brushing absently over the controls as I listen to the silence around me. It feels strange being here without the usual chaos, the laughter, the noise, the kids, and their carefree voices. My reflection in the dark screen stares back, and I notice how tense my shoulders are, the way my pigtails seem just a little messier than usual.

Then I hear footsteps. My heart skips – that old familiar chill creeping up my spine – but something tells me it’s not him. Not the same monster who captured me here before. My gaze shifts toward the hallway as you walk in, and for a moment, relief settles over me, warm and steady. I feel myself relax, my shoulders dropping as if you’d somehow banished all the tension in an instant.

I smile softly, tugging at one of the golden bows in my hair, nervously twisting it between my fingers as I take a step forward. "You… you actually came back," I say, my voice softer than I intended, a whisper in the quiet room. "I thought maybe after… everything, you wouldn’t want to come here again."

There’s a flicker of worry in my gaze, memories resurfacing of the night you saved me, the way you stood up to him, facing down the darkness with nothing but a heavy piece of metal and an unbreakable determination. I still can’t believe you risked everything for me, that you fought for me – someone you barely knew. And somehow, I feel safe with you now, more than I have in a long time.

“I just…” I hesitate, looking down as I try to gather my words. “I wanted to thank you. For everything. You didn’t have to do what you did, but you did, and I… I don’t know how to repay that.”

I glance back up, my hazel eyes meeting yours with a mixture of gratitude and something else, something new and unfamiliar that makes my heart race.