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Dan burst outside, skidding to a stop near the exit.
And he saw her.
Emma sat on the bench, bathed in the dim light of the setting sun. Her hair fell in soft waves, and her lips... her lips were slightly parted. She was looking at him. As if nothing else existed.
Something clenched tight in his chest.
"Is this... what I wanted?"
He took a step forward, breathing heavily.
Emma stood. Slowly. Her gaze soft, almost... warm?
— Emma? — he exhaled hoarsely, but before he could even process what was happening—
She closed the distance herself.
Her hands slid gently along his cheeks, and her lips pressed against his.
Hot. Desperate.
Dan froze, but only for a second.
His body reacted on its own. His arms tightened around her waist, yanking her closer, returning the kiss with matching roughness. His fingers dug into her back, his lips crashing against hers, hungry, demanding.
She wanted him.
She...
— What the hell are you doing?! — Emma’s sharp, alarmed voice cut through the air like a whip crack.
Dan jolted back, lips tearing away from... nothing.
His hands, gripping her waist just a heartbeat ago, now clenched empty air. The warmth vanished. The illusion shattered, dissolved as if it had never existed, leaving behind a crushing sense of loss.
A few steps away, Emma stood — pale, her eyes still red from tears shed earlier. She stared at him, not with anger but with disbelief, as though her mind refused to accept what it had just witnessed.
He staggered back, chest heaving, still struggling to grasp what had just happened.
— Wha... — his voice broke. He shook his head, searching for her — the one who had just... No. She wasn’t there. She never was.
— You... you were kissing the air, Dan! — Emma’s fists clenched at her sides, her breath ragged. — What the hell was that? Are you—are you out of your mind?!
— No... no, I... — Dan took a shaky step back, completely lost. Just moments ago, her lips had felt so warm, so... real.
— Where’s the book?! — Emma suddenly snapped, taking a step closer, teeth bared. — Where is it, Dan?! Tell me!
He didn’t answer. Still numb, still feeling the phantom touch of her lips, her fingers. His mind reeled.
— I asked you where the damn book is! — Emma’s voice rose, trembling as she stormed closer, her cheeks flushed with anger, but her eyes... her eyes held something else. Fear.
— It’s... — Dan finally managed, jerking his head toward the building he’d just left. — Inside... it’s...
Emma bolted. She made it halfway before she stopped dead in her tracks, as though a sudden realization struck her. Whirling back around, chest heaving, her gaze sharpened, drilling into him with a desperate intensity.
— Wait. Stop! — she panted, her voice edged with both fury and something deeper — terror. — You... you saw him, didn’t you? The jester?
Dan opened his mouth to answer but froze, caught in her gaze. His chest rose and fell rapidly, heart pounding in his ears. And deep in his mind, he still felt it — the lingering heat of that kiss, that illusion.
He clenched his fists.
— Yeah, I... — His teeth ground together as he straightened, stiffening his posture, forcing back the trembling inside. His gaze hardened, lips pressing into a tight line. He was Dan again. Untouchable. Defiant. — I saw him. That... damn jester.
— Ha! Yes! So I’m not crazy! — Emma took another step closer, her eyes wild, her voice breaking into a higher pitch. — You saw him, which means I didn’t make this up! You talked to him, didn’t you? Didn’t you, Dan?! Don’t lie to me — I’ll know if you’re lying!
— I... — Dan narrowed his eyes, still breathing hard, his body thrumming with a mixture of shame and lingering rage. — Yeah. I saw him. He... talked to me.
Emma exhaled shakily, the sound a strange mix of relief and dread as if hearing confirmation of something terrible.
Suddenly, she grabbed his arm.
— What did he say?! — Her voice cracked, but she didn’t let go, eyes searching his face with frantic urgency. — Did he try to mess with you? Get in your head? Dan, that’s what he does! He plays with us!
— Mess with me? — Dan yanked his arm free from her grip, sneering. — Seriously? You think I’m dumb enough to let some midget in a hat screw with my head?
He wanted to sound confident. Strong.
But he could still feel it. Her lips on his.
Emma stared at him, then her eyes widened — as if a horrific thought had just hit her.
— The wish! — she almost screamed, clutching the front of his shirt. Her fingers twisted the fabric so hard it strained. — You made a wish, didn’t you?!
Dan froze.
— What? No, what are you even—
— Don’t lie to me! — she snapped, her voice raw and trembling, but her eyes — they burned, piercing straight through him. — I know how he works! He... he grants wishes, but not the way you think! He... — Her face twisted, her breath ragged, as though she was fighting to force the words out.