You, the Whisper Across Lifetime

Chapter 2 (Revised Version)

To tell the truth, these past two months felt like sensory refreshment.

I wasn't really looking for a boyfriend, but Kaelen made every interaction feel… new.

I started to feel like a girl again. A teenager.

Sheesh. Even I felt that sounded creepy.

But what did I know?

It was something about the way Kaelen listened.

Not just the act of hearing, but how he seemed to catch the pauses between my words.

Like he knew which parts of me were still choosing silence—and didn't try to pry them open.

That alone was unusual.

Most people, once they found out I had "a sixth sense," either pulled away or leaned in for the wrong reasons.

Some got nervous. Others got curious in ways that felt invasive—like I was a deck of cards meant to be shuffled for entertainment.

But Kaelen... he just asked:

> "Do your senses ever get tired?"

I blinked at the screen.

> "Dunno", I replied.

"Am I allowed to refuse? I never ask myself that. It's like a puzzle in a way. And a very clear in the other way."

He didn't ask what I meant.

He just sent:

> "You are amazing. My dear little shaman."

And somehow, that one sentence felt like someone saw me.

Not the gifted version.

Not the one people romanticized or rejected.

Just... me.

---

We weren't in constant contact. That was another thing I appreciated.

He didn't hover or flood me with messages.

He shared his location whenever he reached a new place for work.

No words. Just a pin drop on the map.

To which I usually replied with a simple:

> "???"

But it made space.

Space for me to be myself.

And space for something else to stir.

The flashes.

Not visions, exactly. Not full-blown dreams either.

Just moments. Sensory ripples.

The feeling of rough wool brushing my collarbone.

The sun kissing my skin in a cold, dewy morning.

The green of the forest.

The eyes—looking deep into mine.

They came and went without context, without warning.

But every time Kaelen and I got closer, they sharpened.

Like something dormant inside me was slowly turning its face to the sun.

---

> "I will see you tomorrow."

I stared at his words for a long time.

We're going to see each other. Tomorrow.

Then, a voice—low and deep, the opposite of my clear, high one.

I will come to you. Wait for me.

I closed my eyes. Inhaled.

Held it.

Tried to seek deeper.

A flicker within stirred, whispering:

Is it him?