A few weeks had passed, and Mariana peacefully got on with her life. She worked at the cafe as usual, and even though she hadn't heard from Micah she wasn't sad about it anymore but felt content because she got to say her peace.

She managed the orders that she had. The day ran quite smoothly, customers came in, as usual, they sold lots of food, it looked like things were returning to normal. It's what she always wanted, but still, it didn't feel right. It was like something was missing.

"How are you, Mariana?" Elena said as she passed her.

"I'm good," Mariana tried to say with conviction. If happiness was defined as having peace from something, which was her case.

"Are you sure? Are you still sad about Micah?"

"Yeah, but I'm fine, really, at least I know he never cheated on me, and that's all I need. I'm happy," she said. Her voice was calm and low as she kept focus on what she was doing, giving out servings and pastries to people, and putting on a friendly, smiling face.

These past few weeks, she became much happier. She was no longer grieving, her mind wasn't clouded by heartbreak, and now she could think clearer. She now played more happy tunes on her piano and was able to play a few songs, she was eating more but was still uncomfortable eating in the mornings, and she produced more articles now that her energy was back up. It was like she had been renewed.

When her shift was over, she was able to go home herself, but first, she had to buy a few things, so she jumped inside her car and then drove off to do some shopping. She stopped by a shop and then parked her car, so she can just go in quickly and get some food.

She got out of the car and locked it before going inside and grabbing a shopping cart. She filled it with cat food, fruits, and vegetables. Since she was in a good mood, she was planning on making a tasty dessert tonight, so she went and brought some chocolate with sprinkles.

Suddenly her phone buzzed from her pocket, and when she checked to see who it was, she was shocked.

Unknown: Come, let's talk.

****

Mariana went to the address that Micah sent her, which was the beach. She got out of her car, and she heard the distant call of the seagulls and the calm sounds of the glistening sea. She could see the warm, sandy flakes that laid across the beach and the sizzling sun that sparkled in the sky.

She closed her car door and then locked it. She dangled the keys into her pocket and then slowly walked to where the families were playing. There was an ice cream truck with a mob of children surrounding it as they screwed joyously, fathers buried into the sand, and mothers made into mermaids. Sandcastles were being made, with fortresses and buckets of soldiers.

She found Micah sitting under a palm tree. His eyes focused into the distance, beyond the sea-line and what lied underneath. She was excited to finally talk to him properly, but she was also nervous about how it would go.

She didn't say anything as she slowly walked to him and sat under the tree, staying a meter apart. She noticed he wore a black shirt and shorts, with his arm still in its blue sling. She wondered what he was thinking about as she watched his hair bounce in the wind with that calm, cute expression. He didn't seem sad or angry, just enjoying the moment.

"Hey," she finally said, taking him out of his tranquil trance as she shuffled a little closer. She wanted to add "my love" but felt like that was too fast and wanted to keep it slow.

He snapped his head towards her. He was slightly startled, shown by his flinching, as he didn't notice she was there. But on his face, there was no sign of hostility.

"Hey," he said quietly and calmly. His face relaxed as he watched her closely.

She smiled at his positive response, feeling more comfortable as she felt like asking another thing. The same thing she asked last time.

"How are you? How have you been?" She asked in a genuine tone that softened and sweetened her voice. She really wanted to know how he was and hoped he didn't suffer too much.

He shrugged. "Fine, you?" He didn't feel like saying much as he still wanted to remain cautious.

"I'm good. So how come you wanted to talk today?" She was curious as to why he decided to message her now. She wasn't complaining because she wanted to talk too, but it was still unexpected and out of the blue.

"Well..." he mumbled, he didn't know what to say because he didn't want to get hurt again, "I thought a lot about what you said, and at first, I was hesitant about this, but I want to reconcile with you Mariana," he said earnestly. He had missed her a lot, but he wouldn't admit it.

"Aw, me too," she said. She was glad that he had the same idea as her, this made the conversation more comfortable, and since his tone was not harsh so, she wasn't scared that she was going to get yelled at.

"So tell me why," he said quite suddenly. This came out of nowhere and threw Mariana off guard as she stared at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Tell me why you sent that message," he said again, but more firm. He didn't look at her, but his voice was stern and sharp, like his fingernails that he fiddled with. He hated being left in the dark like this.

She sighed, throwing her head back. She wished she never had to recall that horrible experience, but he was owed an explanation. Even more, since he was unconscious.

"I went to your room, and I saw..." she hiccuped and choked on her words as the memory came back, haunting her like a nightmare. She felt like breaking down all over again. Seeing Electra on top of him felt like the biggest betrayal. It was the most heartbreaking moment she had ever experienced in their relationship. Even though the pain was gone, it had left a scar on her heart.

She breathed heavily before continuing, "I saw Electra on top of you, and I—I thought you cheated on me..." she strained her voice against the lump that developed in her throat, but what she said left Micah jaw-dropped, wide-eyed and speechless.

"It broke my heart, Micah. You have no idea how hurt I was, seeing that, especially since it was with Electra. I actually thought you were sick of me and that I wasn't good enough, so she was the one you preferred. That really hurt me Micah, I love you ever so much so that really affected me."

"Oh, Mariana..." He slowly pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her protectively. "I can never get sick of you." He rocked her gently and kissed her forehead, making her grin. "Not even when you get on my nerves." He rubbed her back affectionately, slowly warming up.

"I'm sorry you had to see something like that. I understand how that feels."

"Thanks, Micah." She smiled. She was happy that what she went through didn't just get thrown away like it was nothing.

"So Electra really did all that..." He let go of Mariana as what she said started to sink in. "Is that how far she was willing to go...?" He was stunned and didn't know what to think.

"Yeah, she told me that she drugged you and wanted you to suffer." Mariana looked at him sympathetically as it wasn't something pleasant to hear.

"Damn..." he muttered. His eyes laid to the ground. His mind stopped working as he processed what he heard. He couldn't believe Electra would go so far, just to break down his relationship. She really seemed to hate him, and he wondered how he got mixed up with her so easily in the first place. She was like his dad and Mason. They loved seeing him suffer.

"I honestly had no idea what happened to you, Mariana. I mean, after I woke up, it felt like I suddenly went to sleep, but I had no memory of going to bed. I actually had a cake prepared for you, but when I checked the time, I panicked and thought that I had missed you coming, and then I saw your message..."

Mariana clenched her teeth in awkwardness. "Sorry about that. Electra also showed me the cake and what you had written on it. I guess I can't have it now, can't I?"

"Ew no, it would've gone moldy by now. Besides, my sisters ate it."

"Yeah." Mariana sighed sadly. She wasn't expecting to have it now, but it was a nice thought.

"But I also got you some bracelets which I still have stuffed in my drawers."

"Aw, you got me some bracelets?" She started blushing as she teased him with her voice.

"Yeah, I couldn't be bothered to throw them away. Actually I didn't even have time since I went into a coma for two months."

"Wait, you went into a what—what." She blinked repeatedly as if she was trying to be sure of what she heard.

He sighed. "I got alcohol poisoning and then I went into a coma."

"Oh my poor baby! How do you feel now?" She asked in worry.

"Better." He shrugged. "But yeah, those two months were pretty horrifying for me."

"Aw, it's okay at least your better now." Mariana tried to comfort him.

He nodded but then sighed and lowered his head in shame. He wondered what he did to deserve all this animosity. But the thing that most concerned him about this is this all happened while he was unaware and unable to do anything. He knew nothing about it, what Electra had done to him, and this made him feel extremely anxious like a creeping sensation crawled inside his skin.

He felt like he wanted to tear up as water leaked out from under his eyes, like water seeping out under a door. But he tried to keep it in as he sucked his lips in, shaking slightly.

"Micah, are you alright?" Mariana noticed the change in his demeanor.

He shook his head, but he felt the opposite way.

"Micah, what's wrong? Speak to me." She stroked and caressed his arm, she wanted to soothe him, but this just made his arms tense up. He continued shaking his head, not wanting to give in and become what his father has always said about him.

Mariana squeezed him closer to her. She kissed his cheeks which is what made him crack. He silently began weeping in her arms, like he didn't know what else to do. His broken arm started to hurt, but that was the least of his problems.

"She hates me so much... all of them do..." he muttered.

"It's okay, I'm here." She tried to comfort him. "I don't hate you." She kissed his cheek before letting him go.

She then glanced down at his sling and began to worry about where it came from.

"Um, Micah, do you mind telling me what happened to your arm?"

"What?" He asked, looking down at it. He tended to ignore it when he first got it, but now, he didn't care anymore.

He sighed and then leaned back, rubbing his eyes like he was tired. "When you left with my mom, I got into a huge fight with Mason, which ended up in me pushing him down the stairs, and he broke his legs. My dad came, and he was really angry for what I did to Mason since he's his golden boy." Micah rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Anyway, I tried to explain why I did it, but my dad was having none of it, and so he grabbed my arm and broke it himself to see how I like it."

"Your dad broke your arm?" Mariana exclaimed, how voice came out louder than she intended. She couldn't believe the wickedness that she just heard.

"Yeah, he did."

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, Micah." She felt bad because he did that for her, and he ended up getting into trouble.

"It's okay, I don't mind, just as long as nobody touches my baby," he said firmly without looking at her.

Mariana blushed as the sweet nicknames started coming back. She missed those so much, and hearing them again brought hope that they could revive their relationship.

She leaned on his shoulder, and they watched the open sea. The waters danced inside her eyes, the smell of hot dogs filled the air. Mariana felt like she could just go to sleep and let herself go in peace with Micah. The barrier that was between them, and now it was slowly breaking down, showing their true selves to each other. No deceit and no hatred. She was glad they could spend a moment like this, even with all the people playing on the sides. It felt like it was just them two, just like how it used to be.

"Micah."

"Yeah?"

"How comes you gave me a big tip if you were still mad at me?" This came across her mind. Although she did appreciate it, she wondered how he could still be that kind towards her even after all that he had been through.

He didn't say anything. Instead, he just fiddled with his fingers. He felt very embarrassed of the reason and didn't feel like explaining it.

"Um... I don't know."

"Come on, tell me! There has to be one," she begged because she wanted to see how he truly felt about her and whether that influenced him giving her a big tip.

He sighed, shuffling away from her. He cleared his throat, and he can feel himself heating up like someone who didn't like to express their feelings.

"Because I never stopped loving you."

Mariana was shocked as she never expected that. After all, that time had passed, he still loved her greatly to do that.

She adjusted herself, so she was staring into those beautiful, golden circles. She was just inches away from his face, from those lips that she used to kiss. Her heart began to slow down in short beats that came in waves. Hearing that, she imagined it as how Micah's heart was also beating, like they had a hidden connection.

Then, her cheeks tingled as she said, "and I never stopped loving you..."

He stared into those rippling brown eyes as her words echoed quietly in his ear. He was surprised that she felt the same way, especially when he had to go through many months of doubt about her. But now, she was here. Here with that smile that could fill a room with happiness like a rainbow. He missed her glow, her laugh, and he missed kissing those sweet, luscious lips.

They both gazed and got into the worlds of each other. Their lips slightly parted as an invisible flame sizzled around them, making the air amorous. They were slowly moving towards each other while the outside voices moved away. The sun was hot on their backs but felt like a warm glow like they were sat in front of the fireplace.

Micah then closed the gap between them and claimed her lips, catching her off guard. He put his arms behind her and pushed her body into his, deepening the kiss.

Mariana froze as Micah kissed her. It felt like a century since she felt his lips on hers, but it felt good, and she melted into his arms immediately. She caressed his face as she sat on his lap and pulled him closer so that they were rocking slightly.

They kissed as the day would never end. Mariana felt him sucking on her bottom lip as she moaned sweetly. He smiled warmly as he ran his hands through her curls, feeling each one as he missed her touch, her scent, her everything.

It felt like all the pieces of them were coming together. Like they were once a dead flower, but now the kiss is making it bloom again, flowing out pink, romantic petals in its beauty.

All of Mariana's feelings were returning, and her broken heart was being stitched back together. It felt so right kissing him like this again like it was meant to be.

Like they were meant to be.

A/N: HEY GUYS I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS SWEEEEEET CHAPTER! 😁😁😁

Mariana and Micah finally had their talk YAAAAAY

and guess what?

ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GOOO. 🥳🥳🥳