Chapter 178 Ordinary Day

Chapter 178 Ordinary Day
Ivy POV

Morning light spilled across the apartment, warming the floor before it reached the bed. The smell of coffee pulled me awake.
For one quiet moment, I stayed where I was, listening to the sounds outside. Cars rolled through the streets below. Someone laughed on the sidewalk.

A siren echoed in the distance before fading away. No one was pounding on my door. No one needed the Keeper. It was just another morning.

I slipped out of bed and followed the smell into the kitchen. Caden stood at the stove with complete confidence. The pan smoked. The toast was almost black.

Something that was supposed to be eggs sat on a plate in uneven pieces. I leaned against the doorway, trying not to laugh.
He looked over his shoulder.

"I know that look."

"I haven't said anything."

"You were about to."

My eyes drifted to the toast. He sighed. "Go ahead."

A laugh escaped before I could stop it. "You fought ancient wolves."

"I did."

"You defeated rogues."

"I did."

"And breakfast won."

He looked at the pan as if it had betrayed him."I underestimated my opponent."

That only made me laugh harder. He reached for the spatula and held it up.
"I still think I can save it."

"Please don't."

"Have a little faith."

"I've seen the evidence."

He finally gave up and switched off the stove. "We're ordering breakfast."

"I support that decision."

He walked over, wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed my forehead."I'll learn."

"I know you will."

"But until then..."

"We keep the fire extinguisher nearby."

His groan filled the kitchen.The sound stayed with me long after we left the apartment. Months ago, every day had begun with fear.

Now we argued over burnt toast. I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Later that morning, we headed to the university.

The campus looked exactly as I remembered. Students hurried between classes with backpacks slung over one shoulder.

Friends gathered on the steps outside the library. Someone rushed past while reading notes, nearly walking into a bike rack.

Life had kept moving while I was gone. For a second, I wondered if I still belonged here. Caden squeezed my hand before we reached the administration building.

"You've got this."

"I hope so."

"You do."

I smiled and walked inside. The familiar smell of books and polished floors greeted me. A few professors passed through the hallway.

Some faces were new. Others made me feel as though no time had passed at all.
Dr. Marsh spotted me first.

"Ivy?"

I turned and smiled."It's good to see you."

"You too."

She stepped closer, looking genuinely pleased."We weren't sure if you'd be coming back."

"I wasn't either."

She studied my face for a moment."You look different."

"I feel different."

She nodded as if she understood."I'm glad you're here."

"So am I."

The paperwork took longer than I expected, but when everything was finished, the registrar handed me my schedule.

I stared at it for a long moment. Behavioral Psychology. Research Methods. Cognitive Development. Classes. Assignments. Exams.

Things that had once felt ordinary now felt like a gift. When I stepped back outside, Caden was sitting on a bench beneath a tree.

He looked up the moment he saw me. "Well?"

I held up the papers."I'm officially back."

A grin spread across his face."I knew you would be."

I sat beside him."I never thought I'd miss homework."

"Give it a week."

I laughed."You're probably right."

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the city with nowhere we needed to be. A musician played guitar outside a subway station while people dropped coins into his case.

The smell of roasted nuts drifted from a street cart. A tiny bookstore caught my attention, and we wandered inside. The owner greeted us with a smile before returning to the novel he was reading behind the counter.

I disappeared into the shelves. Caden wandered in the opposite direction, studying every section as though he were exploring another country.

He eventually appeared holding a folded city map."You know your phone already has one."

"I like this better."

"Why?"

He unfolded it across a nearby table."It doesn't run out of battery."

I laughed."Fair point."

I picked out a novel I had wanted to read before my life had turned upside down. At the register, Caden glanced at the stack of books beside the counter.

"So this is how humans hunt."

"We call it shopping."

"It looks expensive."

"It is."

He looked genuinely concerned."I understand why people use libraries now."

Outside, we found a small café and claimed a table by the window. People walked past carrying shopping bags, talking on phones, or hurrying to work.

Nobody looked twice at us. Nobody knew who we were. Nobody knew what we had done. For the first time in a long while, being invisible felt wonderful.

Across the street, children chased each other through a small park. Caden watched them for a while.

"What?"

"I spent years believing strength was the most important thing a leader could protect."

"And now?"

"They're the reason."

He nodded toward the children."If they can grow up without fearing the next war, then everything was worth it."

I reached across the table and took his hand. "It was."

The city glowed beneath the evening sky as we crossed a bridge on our way home.
Lights shimmered across the river. A cool breeze tugged at my coat.

I rested my arms on the railing."I've been thinking."

"I can tell."

"The bond."

His smile faded."I miss it too."

"I keep reaching for it."

"So do I."

"It still feels strange."

He turned toward me."I don't need the bond to know where you are."

"No?"

He shook his head."I know because you're here." His hand covered mine."I know because I choose you every day."

Emotion tightened my chest."I choose you too."

He kissed my forehead, and we stood together until the lights reflected like stars across the water.The apartment was quiet when we returned.

I changed into comfortable clothes and opened the bedside drawer. The key rested where I had left it. Cold. Still. It no longer glowed.

I touched it for a moment before closing the drawer. Maybe its purpose was finally over. Caden was already asleep by the time I slipped into bed.

I listened to his steady breathing until my eyes grew heavy. Then a voice drifted through the darkness.

"Keeper."

My eyes flew open. The room was empty.
Moonlight stretched across the floor. Beside me, Caden hadn't moved. I held my breath.

The whisper came again."Come."

Every hair on my arms stood up. I pushed back the blankets and slowly sat upright, searching the silent apartment. No one was there.