Alex’s P. O. V.
A few Days Later
Sky and I are on the basketball court with the rest of the team. We’re in the middle of a practice.
But suddenly, something feels off. People are rushing out of the main building, their faces frantic. I glance at Sky, who’s already looking toward the chaos with a confused expression.
“What’s going on?” Sky asks one of the students sprinting past us.
“Classroom… one of the classrooms caught fire!” the student stammers.
My heart drops. “Which classroom?”
“It’s the third floor. Room 306.”
The ground feels like it shifts beneath my feet. It’s our classroom. Stella, Zoe, and Selena, they’re supposed to be there.
Sky and I exchange a horrified glance before we both sprint toward the building without a second thought, pushing through the crowds gathering by the exits.
“Please, God, keep Stella safe. I’m nothing without her. Please!” I continuously pray to God for the person who brightens my life as I walk toward the classroom. I don’t usually pray, but the thought of losing her scares me to death.
I just hope Stella, Zoe, and Selena made it out.
As we reach the third floor, thick black smoke greets us. Through the haze, I see Zoe and Selena standing just outside the classroom door, both of them in tears.
As we rush to them, my eyes search for Stella, but she’s nowhere to be found. My heartbeat quickens. Where is she? All the bad thoughts start creeping into the back of my mind, making my entire body tremble with fright.
No. No. My Stella is safe.
“Zoe…” Sky wraps his arms around Zoe, but her cries don’t ease.
“Where’s Stella?” I ask Selena, clenching my quivering hands.
Please, just say that she isn’t in the classroom and that she’s safe. Please.
She looks up at me, her eyes moist. “She’s still inside!”
My world stops after hearing her words, and in that moment, it feels like I’ve lost everything. I begin to feel an emptiness in my heart, and my body freezes in shock.
“Sky, please… do something. You have to save her.” Zoe pleads, and Sky reassures her.
My Stella is inside. Oh, God. I won’t let anything happen to her.
Without a second thought, I turn toward the classroom. Flames are licking up the walls, and the doorway is blocked by a thick, burning beam. But nothing can stop me from going inside and protecting my girl.
A professor appears, trying to hold me back as I step toward the flaming beam. “You can’t go in there! The room’s too dangerous, it’s about to collapse!”
I don’t care how risky it is. All I can think about is Stella, alone and scared inside, and I can’t leave her there. What if something happens to her… No. I’ll protect her at any cost. If something happens to me, I really don’t care because my life is meaningless without her.
Ignoring the professor’s warnings, I kick at the burning beam, feeling the heat scorch through my shoes. My vision blurs from the smoke, but there is no way I’m backing down. With one last push, I finally shove the beam aside enough to squeeze through.
I hear Sky shout something behind me, but I’m already in the room, calling and searching for the woman who is my everything.
“Stella! Where are you?”
I don’t care if this is reckless, or if I get burned, or what anyone else thinks. All that matters is getting to her.
The smoke is thick, making it hard to see, but then I hear a faint cough from the back of the room. Relief and terror mix within me as I realise she’s still alive. I push through broken desks and scattered books, dodging falling debris as I move toward the sound.
Finally, I find her huddled against the wall, coughing as she tries to shield herself from the flames creeping closer. Her eyes widen when she sees me, but filled with relief.
I feel like I get my breath back.
“Alex…” she whispers in her weak voice.
I approach her in two strides and pull her into my arms. “I’ve got you, Flower. I’m here.” I kiss her hair as tears of happiness fall from my eyes.
Thank God! She’s safe, and if anything had happened to her, I was ready to burn with her right here. My grip on her arms tightens, and all I want is to protect her from the fire with my embrace.
She snuggles into me, her breaths are heavy, and I can feel her trembling against me. “I thought… I thought I would die.”
I immediately pull her away from her and clasp her face. “Just don’t say that. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I hold Stella close, wrapping my arm around her as I guide her through the smoke-filled room toward the exit, shielding her from the flames as best as I can. Every instinct screaming at me to get her out safely.
“Alex,” she says, looking up at me through teary eyes. “You shouldn’t have come in here. It’s too dangerous… What if something happens to you?”
“No need to say that,” I reply, keeping my voice firm, even though my chest is tight with fear. “I’d face anything to keep you safe, Stella. I can’t lose you. Now I don’t want a life where you’re not.”
The fire crackles louder, the flames closing in around us. Just as we’re almost at the doorway, a burning beam above shifts, and a piece of it comes loose, falling toward us, causing her eyes to widen in horror.
Instinctively, I turn, pressing Stella close to me and twisting so that my back takes the brunt of the falling wood. It lands on my arm, and I hiss as pain flares up from the burn. The searing heat bites into my skin, but I push the pain aside, focusing solely on getting her out.
“Alex!” Stella gasps, her eyes wide with panic as she sees the burn on my arm. “Are you okay?”
I reassure her, even as my arm throbs. “I’m fine. Let’s just keep moving.”
With my uninjured arm, I lead her toward the door, and she coughs continuously. Finally, we push through the smoke and stumble into the hallway. Fresh air hits us like a blessing.
Sky, Zoe, and Selena are standing there, their faces etched with worry and fear. As soon as they see us, their faces fill with relief.
Sky rushes over and places his hand on my shoulder. “Thank God, Alex. Thank God you both made it out.”
“We were so scared.” Zoe and Selena are crying with relief, but I don’t care about anyone else right now. My gaze is locked on Stella, scanning her for any signs of injury.
I take her hands, turning them over to check for burns or scrapes, then brush her hair back to look at her face. My hands are shaking, and my heart is still racing from the fear of almost losing her.
“Are you alright?” I ask, my voice breaking with concern.
She nods, her lip trembling and tears rolling down her cheeks as she looks at my injured arm. “I’m fine, but Alex… your arm…” Her voice cracks, and she reaches out, her fingers grazing the burn gently.
“It’s nothing,” I assure her, brushing off the pain, though it’s excruciating. “All that matters is that you’re safe.”
She cries, her eyes fixed on my arm. ” It’s nothing. Really? It’s a deep wound.”
“I’m fine…” I try to speak but she isn’t ready to listen to me.
So I pull her into my arms, holding her close as she lets her emotions out, her face pressed against my chest. “You could’ve gotten hurt even worse, Alex. You risked everything to save me.”
“I’d do it a thousand times over if it meant keeping you safe, Flower,” I murmur into her hair, comforting her as much as I can.
Selena and Zoe stare at us in shock because of the way we care about each other. Sky has a smile of relief on his face.
I ignore everything around us. Right now, nothing else matters except that Stella is here, safe in my arms. A few minutes earlier, when she was inside, those moments were nothing less than a nightmare for me.
Losing Stella would be like having my breath ripped from my lungs, leaving me gasping for air that’s no longer sweet. It would be a silence, a darkness, and a chill that freezes my very bones. Without her, every color would fade to gray, every flavour would turn bitter, and every touch would feel like an empty echo. Losing Stella would be like losing my soul-an unbearable ache that would haunt me forever.
That’s why I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe with me, always.