Chapter Six: What is this?

‎She stood before Jade could protest, pulling on sweatpants over her costume and shoving her feet into sneakers.

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‎ The back door of Ember led to an alley that smelled like garbage and broken dreams, but it was private and quiet and right now Asha needed both of those things more than she needed fresh air.

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‎The October night was cold against her face, sharp enough to cut through the fog in her head.

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‎Asha leaned against the brick wall and closed her eyes, trying to organize her thoughts into something coherent.

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‎He looked at you.

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‎You looked at him.

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‎Something happened.

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‎He ran.

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‎You feel different now.

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‎That was it. That was the whole story, and it explained nothing.

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‎Asha pulled out her phone, thumb hovering over the G****e search bar.

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‎ What did you even search for in a situation like this? Why do I feel warm in my chest after making eye contact with a stranger? Psychological explanation for instant connection? Am I losing my mind?

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‎She typed anyway: instant connection with stranger.

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‎The results were predictably useless..... articles about love at first sight, think pieces about soul mates, forums full of people who'd met their future spouses in coffee shops and grocery stores and claimed to have "just known."

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‎But that wasn't this. This wasn't love at first sight. Love at first sight was supposed to feel good, wasn't it? Exciting? Romantic?

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‎This felt like standing on the edge of a cliff in the dark, knowing you were one step away from falling but unable to see how far down it went.

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‎Asha scrolled further, past the romance articles, past the psychology blogs, until she found something that made her stop:

‎The Science of Instant Recognition: Why Some Strangers Feel Familiar

‎She clicked it.

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‎The article talked about pheromones, about evolutionary biology, about the way our brains are wired to recognize potential mates based on genetic compatibility.

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‎It was dry, academic, the kind of thing she'd normally skim and forget.

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‎But one line made her pause:

‎"Some researchers believe that in rare cases, two individuals can experience a form of biological recognition so powerful that it manifests as physical symptoms.... increased heart rate, changes in body temperature, an almost magnetic pull toward the other person. While scientifically unproven, anecdotal evidence suggests this phenomenon may be more common than previously thought."

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‎Asha read it three times.

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‎Changes in body temperature.

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‎Like warmth in your chest that wouldn't go away.

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‎"This is insane," she whispered to the empty alley. "I'm reading pseudoscience articles about stranger danger and convincing myself it's real."

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‎Her phone buzzed. A text from her landlord: Rent's due Friday. Don't be late again.

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‎Right. Real life. Actual problems. Things that mattered.

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‎Not some random guy with impossible eyes who'd looked at her for three seconds and then disappeared into the night like he'd never existed at all.

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‎Asha shoved her phone back in her pocket and took a deep breath. She had another set to dance. Then she'd go home, study for her certification exam, and forget this whole weird night ever happened.

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‎That was the plan.

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‎But as she reached for the door handle to go back inside, that warmth in her chest pulsed... just once, just enough to remind her it was still there.

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‎She froze.

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‎What is this?

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‎Not the warmth. She was getting used to the warmth, as bizarre as that sounded.

‎But the feeling underneath it.

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‎ The certainty that something had shifted tonight. That her life had split into before and after, and she was standing in the after without understanding what had changed.

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‎Asha pressed her hand against her chest again, this time really paying attention. The warmth was centered right over her heart, and if she concentrated, she could almost feel it... reaching? Searching?

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‎For what?

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‎"You're losing it," she told herself firmly.

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‎ "Stress. Exhaustion. Maybe low blood sugar. This is what happens when you work two jobs and sleep four hours a night."

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‎But even as she said it, she knew she was lying... because somewhere, in a part of herself she didn't have words for yet, Asha knew that man was important.

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‎ Knew that whatever had happened between them wasn't random or meaningless or just a weird moment she'd laugh about later.

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‎It was something bigger.

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‎Something that scared her almost as much as it fascinated her.

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‎The door opened. Jade stuck her head out.

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‎"There you are. Listen, there's a guy asking for you at the bar. Says his name is Ronan? Wants to talk to you about his friend who 'acted like an idiot earlier.'" She made air quotes with her fingers.

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‎ "Should I tell Marcus to handle it or do you want me to?"

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‎Asha's heart jumped into her throat.

‎His friend. The man who'd run had a friend. And that friend was here. Asking for her.

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‎"I'll talk to him," Asha heard herself say.

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‎"You sure?" Jade looked skeptical.

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‎"You don't owe random guys explanations for their weird behavior."

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‎"I know. I just..." I need to understand what happened. "I need to know I'm not crazy."

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‎Jade studied her for a long moment, then sighed.

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‎ "Fine. But I'm telling Marcus to stand close, and if this Ronan guy gives you any trouble, you blink twice and Marcus will remove him from the premises. Understood?"

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‎Despite everything, Asha smiled.

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‎ "Understood."

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‎She followed Jade back inside, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. The warmth in her chest had intensified, like it knew something she didn't.

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‎Like it was preparing her for something.

‎Ronan was easy to spot... he was the only person at the bar who looked genuinely apologetic instead of drunk or predatory or both.

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‎Brown hair, friendly face, the kind of build that suggested he worked out but wasn't obsessive about it.

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‎He stood when he saw her approaching.

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‎"Asha?" he asked, then immediately shook his head.

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‎ "Sorry, that's not right, is it? You go by Cinder here. I'm Ronan. I was here earlier with my friend Kadence. The one who....."

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‎"Ran," Asha finished for him. "Yeah, I noticed." Ronan had the grace to look embarrassed.

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‎ "He wanted me to apologize. Actually, he wanted to come do it himself, but I convinced him that showing up at your workplace twice in one night might come across as stalkerish."

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‎"Smart friend."

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‎"I try." Ronan gestured to an empty booth in the corner, away from the main floor.

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‎ "Can we talk for a minute? I promise this isn't a pickup attempt or anything creepy. I just... my friend is going through something, and I think maybe you are too, and I want to make sure everyone's okay."

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‎Every instinct Asha had was screaming at her to say no. To walk away. To not get involved in whatever drama this Kadence person was clearly dealing with, but that warmth in her chest pulsed again and Asha found herself nodding.

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‎"Five minutes," she said. "And Marcus is watching, so if you try anything....."

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‎"The giant bouncer will remove my spine through my nose. Got it." Ronan's smile was genuine, which somehow made this whole thing weirder.

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‎ "Thank you. Really."

‎They sat. Jade hovered nearby, pretending to wipe down tables but clearly staying within intervention range.

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‎Ronan took a breath, like he was steeling himself for something difficult.

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‎"What do you know about soul mates?" he asked.

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‎Of all the things Asha had expected him to say, that wasn't even on the list.

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‎"Excuse me?"

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‎"Soul mates. Fated pairs. The one person in the whole world who's meant for you." Ronan's expression was completely serious.

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‎"Do you believe in them?"

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‎Asha stared at him. "Is this some kind of philosophical pickup line? Because if it is, it's terrible."

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‎"It's not a pickup line. It's..." Ronan ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling.

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‎ "Look, I can't explain everything. It's not my place, and honestly, you wouldn't believe me if I tried. But my friend... Kadence.... he's been looking for something important for a very long time and tonight, he found it... and it terrified him. So he ran."

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‎The warmth in Asha's chest was practically burning now.

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‎"What does this have to do with me?"

‎Ronan looked at her like the answer should be obvious.

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‎"You're what he found."

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‎The words hung in the air between them, impossible and ridiculous and somehow, inexplicably, true.

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‎Asha opened her mouth to argue, to tell him he was insane, to ask what kind of game they were playing... But before she could speak, that warmth in her chest suddenly pulled.

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‎Not metaphorically. Actually pulled, like someone had attached a rope to her heart and was gently tugging her in a specific direction.

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‎Toward the door.

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