CHAPTER 12 – THE RED TREE

Lana woke to sunlight slicing through the curtains, the kind of gold that makes everything look softer than it really is. She stared at the empty space beside her bed, hand resting on the pillow next to hers, fingers lightly curled like they were waiting for something that wouldn’t come.

She didn’t cry.
Not anymore.

She just got dressed.

Picked up the red flower—now dry, its petals crisp—and slipped it into her tote bag.

The bench where she first saw him was empty.

It faced the lake, as it always had.
Still water.
Still wind.

Lana sat down and pulled out the flower.

She didn’t speak.
Just placed it beside her and leaned back, closing her eyes.

The sun warmed her face.

And for the first time since it all began, she didn’t feel the weight of the past.

She just felt… here.

Across the city, Xander stood in the gallery.

The red tree painting was gone.

In its place was a new one. Larger. Brighter. Not just red—but green, too. Yellow. Bits of sky between the branches.

The tree was still at the center.
But it was alive now.

And beneath it, two small silhouettes:
Not kissing. Not touching.
Just standing.
Looking at something only they could see.

Lana walked through the streets with no purpose in mind. No loop to complete. No sign to wait for.

She passed a child selling origami flowers.
She bought a blue one.
And smiled.

That night, she played a new song on her guitar.
No lyrics. Just melody.

The kind that made you think of oceans.
Of wind.
Of holding someone’s hand, even if they weren’t there anymore.

She recorded it.

Labeled the file:

Side C – If We Never Meet Again

The next day.

Xander saw her across the street.

She was holding a paper flower. Smiling at something only she knew.

She looked up.

Their eyes met.

She nodded once — soft. Kind.
He smiled back.

No one crossed the road.

No one said a word.

It didn’t hurt.

Not this time.

Somewhere far away, in a place untouched by time, a red tree stood on a quiet hill. Wind rustled its leaves.

And at the base of its roots, two initials were carved.

Faded.
But still there.

[END OF CHAPTER 12]