The One I Cannot Touch

String 11: Dances Beneath the Stars

Afternoon — Vera Design Labs, Ayala Triangle

After lunch, Jade made a surprise stop at the firm's creative think space — the heart of Vera Group's future developments. Designers, planners, architects all buzzing in curated chaos under the high-glass ceiling.

She walked past desks until she found a quiet table. Pulled out her sketchbook.

And began to draw.

A layout of a circular structure. Open air. Surrounded by water.

A garden... or a labyrinth?

Olivia Vera (entering):
"You always come here when you're not okay."

Jade:
"It's quiet. And it makes sense here."

Olivia (sitting beside her):
"Still dreaming of your impossible projects?"

Jade:
"Not impossible. Just... waiting for the right timing."

Olivia:
"And maybe, the right man?"

Jade smiled softly.

Jade:
"You always bring it back to that."

Olivia:
"Because, anak, no matter how many towers you build, the heart always needs a home."

They sat together, silence filled only by soft pencil strokes and the hum of ideas forming.

Evening — Garden Soirée, Vera Ancestral Home

That night, the Vera clan hosted a soirée in their ancestral mansion in San Lorenzo Village — the kind of party that made the society pages. Soft jazz under strings of golden lights. Wine flowing like conversation. Legacy displayed in every carved post and heritage tile.

Jade, in an ivory off-shoulder silk dress, stood by the grand fountain, sipping from a crystal glass.

Seb and Elle were chatting by the gazebo, laughing about childhood escapades.

Then, a new presence entered the garden.

Chase, in a dark tailored blazer, hesitant but steady. He was invited by Seb, nudged by Elle, and driven by something he couldn't name.

Their eyes met across the party.

Time paused.

Jade:
"You came."

Chase:
"Couldn't let you drink all the good wine without me."

Garden Table — Friends and Firelight

The night grew warmer, the group gathered at a long table under lantern trees. Everyone had a glass in hand, voices rising and falling like old songs.

Elle:
"Game tayo. Truth or Dare."

Chase (smirking):
"Truth. I'm not jumping into fountains tonight."

Seb:
"First love. Spill."

Chase looked straight at Jade. Held her gaze longer than appropriate.

Chase:
"I don't remember her name. But I remember the feeling. Like I had already loved her... even before I was born."

The group fell quiet.

Jade (whispers):
"I know that feeling."

They didn't need to say more.

A Quiet Dance

As the crowd thinned and jazz filled the garden air, Chase approached her again.

Chase (offering his hand):
"Dance with me?"

Jade (softly):
"Even if we don't know where this leads?"

Chase:
"Especially then."

They danced.

No words. No plans.

Just the slow rhythm of hearts that had touched once before — perhaps in another life, beneath the same stars.

Clara's Final Note

Back at the hospital, Clara Virelles stirred.

She'd been dreaming again. No — remembering.

A garden. A death. Blood on white silk.

She gasped for air and grabbed the nearest paper.

With shaking hands, she wrote:

"She was never alone. Someone else watched from the shadows. She is returning. And she is angry."

She sealed the note. Marked it for Jade Vera.

Then collapsed back into silence.