1 views
Fragments of Time (Chapter 1.2)
Scene 2: The Evening Drift
The house Melody returned to wasn’t new, but its freshly renovated walls and modern fixtures masked the history it carried. Perched on a gentle hill, with sprawling fields and meadows stretching out beneath it, the house was quiet, surrounded by the soft whispers of the countryside. The warm evening light filtered through the wide windows, casting a golden glow across the room. It was peaceful, the kind of peace that felt like it belonged to a different time.
She loved the quietness of this place, even if the house itself felt like it had stories hidden in its walls. Her parents had told her that the house had been old and in desperate need of repair when they bought it, but they’d renovated it before moving in. Now, it felt fresh and new, but there were moments, little things, that made her feel like it had been lived in by someone else before. Someone like her.
As she stepped inside, the scent of freshly cleaned wood and lemon met her, mixing with the earthy smell from outside. Melody smiled, slipping off her shoes and heading straight for the kitchen. Her parents wouldn’t be home until late. Another office event. They’d texted her not to wait for them for dinner, but she didn’t mind. She liked the solitude.
Tonight, she would bake. The peacefulness of the kitchen, the open window letting in the sound of wind rustling through the grass—it all set the perfect mood. She had a recipe in mind, something she’d found online, and tonight, she was determined to perfect her fudgy cookies.
The kitchen was her space, her escape. She loved baking—loved how every ingredient had a purpose, every step a reason. It was the kind of quiet, methodical work that helped her think. As she gathered the flour and cocoa, measuring out each portion, she found herself thinking back to the day. Specifically, to Renly.
She huffed out a breath, trying to shake the thought of him. The way he had grabbed her shirt, his dark eyes looking down at her—there was something so frustratingly unforgettable about him. He was a bully. Or at least, his friends were. She knew she should just brush it off, but there was something about him that lingered in her mind. And it annoyed her.
Sliding the tray of cookies into the oven, she set a timer, grabbed her copy of A Clash of Kings, and curled up on the couch. She hadn’t bothered to grab her glasses from the counter; she only needed them in class or when trying to read something far away. The soft, worn pages of the book felt familiar in her hands, but no matter how hard she tried to lose herself in the story, her mind kept drifting. To Renly. His stupid smirk. His stupid friends. And the way he had looked at her, like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out.
---
Across town, Renly leaned back in his chair at the arcade, his fingers tapping lightly on the table in front of him. The room was alive with sound—the whirring of old arcade machines, the constant clicking of buttons, and the shouts of his friends echoing around him. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and the air smelled faintly of fried food and soda. It was chaotic, and that’s exactly why Renly loved it.
His house, a large, quiet place on the edge of town, always felt too still. He lived there alone, ever since his sisters had moved abroad, and his mom rarely visited. The arcade, with its noise and energy, was the perfect escape.
“Come on, Renly! Focus, man!” Marcus, one of his friends, shouted over the noise, breaking Renly’s train of thought.
Renly snapped back to reality, putting his headset back on. But no matter how much he tried to focus on the game, his mind kept drifting back to Melody. The way she had looked at him earlier. She wasn’t like the other girls at school. She hadn’t giggled or blushed or tried to impress him. No, she had stood her ground, even when he’d grabbed her by the collar.
Something about her lingered in his thoughts.
“Yo, Renly, you still with us?” Marcus gave him a nudge.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” Renly muttered, but his head wasn’t in the game. He glanced around the arcade, taking in the flashing lights, the crowded tables. It was everything his house wasn’t—loud, chaotic, alive.
But even in all this noise, it was Melody’s quiet defiance that kept playing over and over in his head.
---
Back at home, the oven beeped, breaking Melody from her thoughts. She set her book aside, pulling the tray of cookies from the oven. The kitchen was filled with the sweet smell of chocolate, and she smiled to herself as she carefully placed the cookies onto a cooling rack. They were almost perfect—gooey in the middle, just the way she liked them.
Taking one, she bit into it, savoring the rich, fudgy flavor. Not perfect, but close enough for tonight. As she leaned against the counter, her phone buzzed with a notification. Her old friends had shared pictures from a party back in the city—one she’d missed. A flicker of longing passed through her, but she brushed it aside.
Her new life in this quiet countryside town was different, but it wasn’t bad. The wide, open fields, the cool evening breeze, the solitude of the house on the hill—it was a peaceful place to live, even if it sometimes felt like a world away from the life she’d left behind.
But as the night deepened, and the stars began to dot the sky outside her window, Melody couldn’t shake the thought of Renly from her mind. And across town, in the loud, crowded arcade, Renly found himself thinking of her too.
---
© reddragonfly
#MelodyxRenly #timetravel #rebirth #romance #lovehate
The house Melody returned to wasn’t new, but its freshly renovated walls and modern fixtures masked the history it carried. Perched on a gentle hill, with sprawling fields and meadows stretching out beneath it, the house was quiet, surrounded by the soft whispers of the countryside. The warm evening light filtered through the wide windows, casting a golden glow across the room. It was peaceful, the kind of peace that felt like it belonged to a different time.
She loved the quietness of this place, even if the house itself felt like it had stories hidden in its walls. Her parents had told her that the house had been old and in desperate need of repair when they bought it, but they’d renovated it before moving in. Now, it felt fresh and new, but there were moments, little things, that made her feel like it had been lived in by someone else before. Someone like her.
As she stepped inside, the scent of freshly cleaned wood and lemon met her, mixing with the earthy smell from outside. Melody smiled, slipping off her shoes and heading straight for the kitchen. Her parents wouldn’t be home until late. Another office event. They’d texted her not to wait for them for dinner, but she didn’t mind. She liked the solitude.
Tonight, she would bake. The peacefulness of the kitchen, the open window letting in the sound of wind rustling through the grass—it all set the perfect mood. She had a recipe in mind, something she’d found online, and tonight, she was determined to perfect her fudgy cookies.
The kitchen was her space, her escape. She loved baking—loved how every ingredient had a purpose, every step a reason. It was the kind of quiet, methodical work that helped her think. As she gathered the flour and cocoa, measuring out each portion, she found herself thinking back to the day. Specifically, to Renly.
She huffed out a breath, trying to shake the thought of him. The way he had grabbed her shirt, his dark eyes looking down at her—there was something so frustratingly unforgettable about him. He was a bully. Or at least, his friends were. She knew she should just brush it off, but there was something about him that lingered in her mind. And it annoyed her.
Sliding the tray of cookies into the oven, she set a timer, grabbed her copy of A Clash of Kings, and curled up on the couch. She hadn’t bothered to grab her glasses from the counter; she only needed them in class or when trying to read something far away. The soft, worn pages of the book felt familiar in her hands, but no matter how hard she tried to lose herself in the story, her mind kept drifting. To Renly. His stupid smirk. His stupid friends. And the way he had looked at her, like she was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out.
---
Across town, Renly leaned back in his chair at the arcade, his fingers tapping lightly on the table in front of him. The room was alive with sound—the whirring of old arcade machines, the constant clicking of buttons, and the shouts of his friends echoing around him. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and the air smelled faintly of fried food and soda. It was chaotic, and that’s exactly why Renly loved it.
His house, a large, quiet place on the edge of town, always felt too still. He lived there alone, ever since his sisters had moved abroad, and his mom rarely visited. The arcade, with its noise and energy, was the perfect escape.
“Come on, Renly! Focus, man!” Marcus, one of his friends, shouted over the noise, breaking Renly’s train of thought.
Renly snapped back to reality, putting his headset back on. But no matter how much he tried to focus on the game, his mind kept drifting back to Melody. The way she had looked at him earlier. She wasn’t like the other girls at school. She hadn’t giggled or blushed or tried to impress him. No, she had stood her ground, even when he’d grabbed her by the collar.
Something about her lingered in his thoughts.
“Yo, Renly, you still with us?” Marcus gave him a nudge.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” Renly muttered, but his head wasn’t in the game. He glanced around the arcade, taking in the flashing lights, the crowded tables. It was everything his house wasn’t—loud, chaotic, alive.
But even in all this noise, it was Melody’s quiet defiance that kept playing over and over in his head.
---
Back at home, the oven beeped, breaking Melody from her thoughts. She set her book aside, pulling the tray of cookies from the oven. The kitchen was filled with the sweet smell of chocolate, and she smiled to herself as she carefully placed the cookies onto a cooling rack. They were almost perfect—gooey in the middle, just the way she liked them.
Taking one, she bit into it, savoring the rich, fudgy flavor. Not perfect, but close enough for tonight. As she leaned against the counter, her phone buzzed with a notification. Her old friends had shared pictures from a party back in the city—one she’d missed. A flicker of longing passed through her, but she brushed it aside.
Her new life in this quiet countryside town was different, but it wasn’t bad. The wide, open fields, the cool evening breeze, the solitude of the house on the hill—it was a peaceful place to live, even if it sometimes felt like a world away from the life she’d left behind.
But as the night deepened, and the stars began to dot the sky outside her window, Melody couldn’t shake the thought of Renly from her mind. And across town, in the loud, crowded arcade, Renly found himself thinking of her too.
---
© reddragonfly
#MelodyxRenly #timetravel #rebirth #romance #lovehate
