SMOKE AND DESIRE

Zara had always been a dreamer. She believed in serendipity, in the kind of love that made you lose yourself. When Zara met Jace, her world turned into something she never thought it could be - alive. He was unlike anyone she had ever known. Charismatic , daring , and beautifully flawed, Jace had an aura that made her feel weightless. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel seen.

Zara wasn't the kind of person who fell easily. She had spent most her life keeping her heart under lock and key, wary of giving too much of herself to someone who might not deserve it. But Jace was different. He broke down her walls with his crooked smile and easy charm.

They met at a friend's house party on a cool friday night . Zara was nursing a drink in the corner , quietly observing when Jace strolled over, his confidence radiating . He was magnetic, but there was something guarded about him. still, she couldn't help but be drawn in. And then, as if on cue , his gaze locked onto hers.

"You hiding, or just watching everyone else get drunk ?" he asked, leaning against the wall beside her.

Zara smirked . " Maybe both."

Later that night they shared a kiss while playing a game of truth or dare, she didn't think too much about it or felt like anything was going to happen after that day. Jace was able to get her contacts through a mutual friend

That was how it started - one causal conversation, one spark of chemistry, and suddenly Zara's carefully controlled world was spinning in a way she never thought possible. Jace made her feel things she didn't think she was capable of feeling .He awakened emotions in her that she never knew esisted - desire, vulnerability, even a kind of reckless joy she hadn't known existed. A week later he invited her over to spend the weekend together and it was the best experience ever. Jace brought passion into Zara's life, a whirlwind of feelings that made her feel like she was finally awake .

But Zara wasn't without her secrets. Hidden beneath her cool exterior was a reliance on cannabis that she rarely shared with anyone - one that went beyond casual but she never abused it. To her, it wasn't just a habit; It was her way of coping, her escape from the parts of herself she didn't want to face.

At first Jace didn't mind. He saw Zara smoking a joint one evening as they sat under the stars. and she offered it to him with a grin. " It helps me unwind," she said.

He hesitated but waved it off. " Not really my thing," he said lightly. He didn't judge her for it, and Zara appreciated that. Months went by so fast spending an unhealthy amount of time together resulted in creating a bond both parties weren't prepared for.

Smoking became Zara's way of enhacing their moments together . The cannabis made everything feel deeper - their conversations, their kisses, their nights in bed. Jace noticed how her mood would shift when she was high, how she seemed freer, lighter . But he also noticed how it became something she relied on.

It wasn't long before cracks began to show in their relationship. Zara started to pull away, not because she wanted to but because she couldn't reconcile the emotions she felt when she wasn't smoking. Jace, for all of his charm and devotions, had his own baggage - a complicated past with women and a tendency to keep his emotions at arm's length. His attention often wandered when they weren't together. He had a history with women, and though he assured Zara that she was different, his past hung over them like a shadow.

The two of them clung to each other in their own ways. Zara leaned on cannabis to numb her growing doubts, while Jace distracted himself from the cracks in their relationship by flirting and being with other women.

One evening, Zara sat on the edge of Jace's bed, rolling a joint. While Jace was scrolling through his phone, and when she glanced over, she caught a glimpse of a message from a woman she didn't know.

Who's that?'' she asked , her voice sharper than she intended.

Jace looked up, his face hardening. '' Just a friend," he said dismissively.

But Zara knew better. The tension between them had been building for more than a year, having arguments over the same thing and this felt like a breaking point. And then there was the other thing ''women''. Their intimacy, once so electric and passionate began to waver. Zara blamed herself. She wondered if she wasn't enough for him, but deep down, she knew it wasn't totally her fault. The spark between them felt distant , like a flame struggling to stay alive in a room full of smoke.

She tried to talk to him. ''Jace , I love you, but this... it's changing us . I feel like i'm loosing you to something i can't compete with." He laughed, though it wasn't cruel-just dismissive. ''You're overthinking, Zara.''

"Do you even care about us anymore?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Jace sighed, setting his phone down. "I care, Zara. But i can't keep doing this. It feels like you only really want me when you're high."

His words hit her like a punch to the gut. She opened her mouth to protest, but a part of her knew he wasn't totally wrong . And while Jace never judged her for it, she could tell he didn't fully understand, the feelings she once thought were so strong were slipping away, dulled by a haze she couldn't escape.

"And what about you?" she shot back, her voice rising. "You're so distracted by every other woman that i don't even know where i stand with you!.... And it's crazy how i've never judged you or gave up on us.''

Jace's face tightened, but he didn't deny it. "I've messed up, I know that. But at least i'm here, Zara. At least i'm trying."

Silence fell between them, heavy and suffocating. Zara looked down at the joint in her hand, the symbol of everything that had started to unravel between them. She loved Jace - or at least, she thought she did. But now she wasn't sure if it was love or just the haze she had wrapped herself in to avoid facing the truth.

"I think we're broken," Zara said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

Jace didn't respond right away. He just looked at her, his expression a mix of sadness and resignation. "Maybe we are," he finally said.

Zara knew that she had to make a choice. Love, for all it's beauty, couldn't thrive in shadows. She couldn't keep waiting for Jace to choose her over his habits.

The next morning, Zara left Jace's apartment for the last time without saying goodbye. Jace watched her with red-rimmed eyes, silent for once. He didn't beg her to stay, and she didn't expect him to. She didn't blame him entirely, and she didn't entirely blame herself either. They were two people who tried to love each other but couldn't get past their own demons. As much as Zara wanted to believe their love was enough, something was always lingering in the background - her haze of smoke and his shadowed past.

In the days that followed, Zara mourned what could have been. She missed the way Jace made her feel, she found herself reaching for the familiar comfort of cannabis, but it wasn't the same. The highs no longer felt as freeing, and the memories of Jace lingered in the haze.

Eventually, she realized she had to let go - not just of Jace, but of the crutches she had leaned on for so long. She wasn't sure where the road would lead, but for the first time, she was ready to face it sober.

Walking away was the hardest thing Zara had ever done, but it was also the most freeing. She loved Jace, but she had come to realize that love wasn't always enough not when it was drowning in things beyond her control.

Sometimes your only closure is knowing you had good intentions and a good heart. That even in silence, even in the ache, you gave what you could. and it was real. Not every story ends with words, some just fade, and you have to let them. But you can hold the truth in your hands. You were honest. You cared.