The cold nightly breeze roams around the city. The once bustling outdoors has become empty. And the sound of the howling atmosphere fills the air, removing the dead silence.

     Marching for what seems like an eternity of walking, Oliver and Sophia spot a passing carriage, and it stops before them. The coachman halts the horses, and the wheels groan. Oliver and Sophia pause as they look at each other.

"Where to, fine lady and gentleman?" the coachman asked.

     Oliver and Sophia ride the carriage, taking their seats beside each other before slamming the door shut. The coachman sways the reins, causing the horses to sprint. The carriage begins moving, and its speed hastens every second.

     As the carriage travels across the empty street, Oliver leans on the vehicle's window and gazes at the dim outdoors. Looking at the buildings towering over each other, Oliver sees a gap between establishments and spots a familiar structure in between. Far away lies the adoption centre where he used to live.

     Nostalgia hits Oliver in the back, freezing his spine but burning his heart. Oliver reminisces about his time in the adoption centre, bringing a frown to his flushed face. Slowly, his eyelids begin to feel heavy.

     Sophia gawks out of the window on the other side of the carriage, then gazes up at the cold atmosphere. The shimmering stars glow in her green eyes as she looks across the galaxies and spots a meteor shower bolting across the sky. She smiles and quickly pokes Oliver on his back.

"Oli, look at the sky," Sophia poked Oliver on his back.

"Wow..." Oliver looked out the window with Sophia.

     Oliver moves closer to Sophia, pressing his body against hers and brushing his chest against her arm. Together, they watch the gleaming meteor shower dash across the vast sky. Their smiles light up their faces as they gaze up at the heavens.

     Sophia grinned as she watched the last meteor fade in the night sky. Suddenly, she felt a smooth, warm breath touching her neck. She glanced at her back and saw Oliver.

     Oliver glanced back at Sophia and smiled at her, smirking as his cheeks flushed. He then rested his eyes and placed his chin on her shoulder. Oliver's hands slowly wandered and met Sophia's soft palms.

     With their faces blushing, Oliver and Sophia held each other's hands. Then, they leaned on each other's heads. They closed their eyes as they felt their heartbeats passed onto one another.

     Hours have passed, and Oliver has fallen into a peaceful nap on Sophia's arm, resting his head on her shoulder. Meanwhile, Sophia remains awake, leaning on her palm as she gazes out the window. But, as time passes, her eyes grow heavy, and she begins to feel the urge to sleep.

     Sophia's eyes scan the outdoors through the window and realize the familiar neighbourhood. Her urge to sleep subsides as she straightens her back. She begins glancing left and right. Then, she clears her throat.

After a few more turns in the streets, Sophia knocked on the window behind the coachman. "Sir, kindly stop!" she told the coachman.

     The carriage immediately halts in front of the Fuers' household. Its groaning wheels echo into the dark horizon, reaching the space above. Then, everything turns silent, leaving only the chirping crickets.

     The coachman slides the window open, and Sophia hands him silver coins. Sophia then gently shakes Oliver, waking him from his serene slumber. Oliver gradually opens his eyes and sees Sophia smiling at him.

"Hm...?" Oliver slowly opened his heavy eyes as he moaned.

"Let's go now. Our parents are waiting for us already," Sophia stated calmly.

     Oliver then scratched his left eye as they stepped out of the vehicle. As he stepped on the sidewalk, Oliver buried his hand in his pocket and took out some money in front of the coachman. Oliver then counted the coins in his palms.

"Here you go, sir," Oliver said as he handed the coins to the coachman.

"Oh, sir, the lady has paid me already," the coachman responded.

Oliver then glanced at Sophia. "Oh."

Sophia turned around and looked at Oliver. "Let's go," she said.

     The coachman swung his reins, and they slashed through the air. The horses neighed and began pulling the carriage down the street. In the meantime, Oliver followed Sophia and trailed her footsteps. Walking next to Sophia, Oliver cleared his throat.

"Ehem, hey."

"Yes?" Sophia glanced at Oliver.

"Did you pay the coachman?" Oliver questioned her, slightly bashful.

"I did," Sophia answered with a wide grin.

"Why?" Oliver asked.

"Why not?" Sophia smirked as she shrugged.

"Ow, I feel awful as a man. It should've been me who must pay," Oliver said.

"No, let's be equal here," Sophia replied. "I pay today, then it's your turn next time, got it?"

"Huh... y'know what, Sophia?" Oliver's face turned red. "You're the best at giving advice," Oliver said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She gasped. "Aw, thank you," she replied. "Wait, how about Gregory?"

As they walked across the Fuers' lawn, Oliver and Sophia's paces became slightly slower.

"Honestly speaking, he's one of the best-est men I've known," Oliver stated. "Without him, I might still haven't mastered my power."

Sophia smiled widely. "You should tell him that."

"Tell him?" Oliver raised a brow and pressed his lips to the back of his face.

"Tell him what you feel," Sophia placed her palm on his shoulder.

"I wonder what he feels about me, though," Oliver wondered as he glanced at the sky.

"Better ask him," Sophia said.

"Probably tomorrow," Oliver responded, smiling.

     The front door opened as Oliver and Sophia stepped onto the porch. Then, they saw their parents behind the doorway. As they reunited, Sophia hugged her mother and father while Oliver kept his distance from the Fuers.

"We're going to rent a nearby apartment. We'll see each other again tomorrow," Amelia told Layla.

"Goodbye, Mr and Mrs Fuers," Sophia nodded at Layla and Alexander.

"Farewell," Layla responded.

"Goodbye, Mr and Mrs Casalee," Oliver waved at Amelia and Evan.

Sophia then grabbed and squeezed Oliver's hands. "...See you tomorrow," she whispered.

Oliver smiled while blushing. "...Heh, goodbye."

     The two families bid farewell for the night, waving their palms at each other. As Sophia and her parents marched onto the empty sidewalk, Oliver and the Fuers watched them from the porch. Then, they continued on their separate ways.