The first snow had just begun to fall over the rooftops of Salzburg when they returned. The cabin in the hills stood untouched by time, a sanctuary wrapped in white and silence.
He lit the fireplace while she unpacked the essentials—two mugs, a blanket, and the camera she always brought on their quietest days. They moved in rhythm, unspoken and perfect.
It wasn’t an escape. It was a homecoming.
He watched her through the lens of memory. The way her eyes lit up as she poured tea. The softness in her walk. The quiet strength that had held him steady through storms.
“You’ve changed,” she said, brushing her hand across his cheek.
“So have you.”
“No. I’ve just… grown more into you.”
That night, they dined at Imlauer Sky, the city glimmering below like a sea of stars. He took her hand across the table, thumb tracing her skin as if he was memorizing her all over again.
“I think I was born for this,” he said.
“For what?” she smiled.
“For loving you this way. Loud. Raw. Entire.”
Back at the cabin, she led him to the bedroom. No words now. Just breath, skin, and the slow unraveling of everything they’d carried. She rode him like worship—eyes locked, hands tight in his, a rhythm that echoed with devotion and fire.
When they collapsed, trembling and soaked in sweat, she rested her head on his chest and said, “I have something to tell you.”
He turned to her, heartbeat rising. “What is it?”
She took his hand and guided it low over her stomach.
“It’s early. But it’s real.”
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then he laughed—pure, unfiltered, boyish. He pulled her on top of him, kissed her like he was drowning, hands tangled in her hair.
“You’re everything,” he whispered against her lips. “Everything I never knew I needed.”
Outside, the snow kept falling, soft and endless.
Inside, two hearts beat in perfect harmony. And one more had just begun.
Chapter Five – Salzburg:Eternity
C