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He first saw her in a Regency setting, and he almost choked on his own breath when he did. Waiting until the author was reading their comments, Garcia snuck to her room. She was still as beautiful as ever, maybe even more so now.
"You actually made it," he stated when she opened the door, his voice thick with emotion. "I wasn't sure it would be possible." Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but she couldn't get any words out. Instead, she raised her hand to stroke his cheek, tears rolling down her face.
"Shh, it's okay, mišiću; it's alright," he soothed her. He wanted to take her into his arms but now was not the time nor the setting. He had to settle for holding her hand with the lightest touch. "You'll be okay."
The following time, it was such a slow burn that he almost lost faith. It took seven chapters for him to even see her in a passing glance, and the wait nearly killed him. Seeing a glimpse of her face in the crowd was more than enough to make him hold on to hope, though. He had to trust the author.
"How do you always have such faith in seeing me again?" she had asked him on the next occasion, both of them professors at rivalling universities this time.
"Because they love you so much, Lucy," he had responded truthfully, "maybe even more than I do."