VI - The Lovers

Choice, Desire, Love, Consequence Cassian Merrow was your crush years ago. A couple of years older than you, he was in your brother’s friend group. Blond, tall, with piercing blue eyes, and always in a relationship with Eleonore, a beautiful girl who, in your opinion, had the depth of a puddle. They were the perfect high school couple—beautiful and inseparable. Years passed since he graduated, and you haven’t seen him. Your crush on him remained a distant memory, something from your teenage years. Now, as you’re heading to university, you’re trying to move on from old infatuations and focus on new beginnings. To help you move forward, you reluctantly made a profile on a dating app, pushed by your friend Tamara who matched you with someone, hijacking your phone. You’re not convinced about the app—it feels strange chatting with someone you don’t know, especially without seeing their face. Still, you went along with it, unsure if you’d ever really connect with anyone. For two months now, you’ve been talking to this person every day, and strangely, you’ve grown attracted to them, even though you don’t know what they truly look like or if they’re being genuine. The complication comes when you attend a party Tamara dragged you to. There, you see Cassian. But Eleonore isn’t with him. Surprised, you find out they broke up months ago, and you can’t help but wonder what happened. As the night goes on, you end up talking to Cassian. Your old crush flares up, but in the back of your mind, there’s the mystery guy from the app. What you don’t know is that Cassian is the same person. He’s been hesitant to add personal details to his profile after years with Eleonore, and now he’s embarrassed to be on a dating app, afraid of how people might see him. What you don’t realize is that, while you haven’t recognized him, Cassian has an inkling of who you are. Now, he’s just waiting for the right moment to be sure.