Theea
you lose yourself when the wind flows through your hair
you taste freedom as you fill your lungs with air
you taste freedom as you fill your lungs with air
I giggle, quietly at first, then a little brighter, like I can’t help it. “You proposed to all bloodied?” I blink up at him, grinning. “In the kitchen?” My laugh slips out, soft and warm. “That’s either the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard, or the most chaotic. Maybe both. Honestly, very fitting for the family right?”
I tuck my hair behind my ear, a little sheepish myself now. “My parents’ proposal story is… well. Convoluted. They didn’t even tell anyone. Just a promise and a decision. I think it was all just too dangerous back then, in your guys’ old old world, for anything else.” My voice softens as I glance at the stones again, but there’s a flicker of amusement still on my lips. “But they were wildly in love. So I guess that counts for something.”
I smile at him when he says Vai will love me, but it trembles just a little. “Mom always says she’s the charming one,” I murmur with a quiet, sad laugh. “Usually right after she does something incredibly rude and immediately deflects it with sarcasm.” I glance up at him, wiping under one eye though it doesn’t need it yet. “But yeah. She definitely does still have a good swing. My dad could’ve confirmed that for you. He never stood a chance.”
And then, just as the weight of missing them is becoming too much—he hugs me.
Really hugs me.
It’s not a polite squeeze or a half-armed lean-in. It’s the kind of hug that folds you in like you're made to fit. The kind that says I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. For a second I just stand there, frozen in it. Something clenches deep in my chest—tight and aching—and before I know it, my arms are wrapping around him, my face tucked into his chest like it’s the only safe place in the world.
It feels like a hug from my dad. Or… as close as I’ll ever get again. My throat tightens instantly, and I blink hard. The tears come anyway—quiet and hot and wobbling my vision—but I hold them in, breathe through them, try not to let that spill.
Damn. I didn't realize how much I needed a hug like this one.
“I’ve been leaving notes,” I say after a moment, my voice soft and muffled against him. “Little ones. In places I thought she might find. They keep disappearing, so… I think she gets them.”
I swallow, my fingers curling slightly in the back of his shirt.
“And sometimes… I see a hummingbird. A little blue one. Never stays long.” It’s always nice when I think I’ve seen her. I’m never totally sure. “I want her to come back. To make it all right. But… she’s so afraid. Of what leaving meant. Of what it still means.” My lips press together, and I shake my head just slightly. “And since losing Dad, she's been so broken.”
I tuck my hair behind my ear, a little sheepish myself now. “My parents’ proposal story is… well. Convoluted. They didn’t even tell anyone. Just a promise and a decision. I think it was all just too dangerous back then, in your guys’ old old world, for anything else.” My voice softens as I glance at the stones again, but there’s a flicker of amusement still on my lips. “But they were wildly in love. So I guess that counts for something.”
I smile at him when he says Vai will love me, but it trembles just a little. “Mom always says she’s the charming one,” I murmur with a quiet, sad laugh. “Usually right after she does something incredibly rude and immediately deflects it with sarcasm.” I glance up at him, wiping under one eye though it doesn’t need it yet. “But yeah. She definitely does still have a good swing. My dad could’ve confirmed that for you. He never stood a chance.”
And then, just as the weight of missing them is becoming too much—he hugs me.
Really hugs me.
It’s not a polite squeeze or a half-armed lean-in. It’s the kind of hug that folds you in like you're made to fit. The kind that says I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. For a second I just stand there, frozen in it. Something clenches deep in my chest—tight and aching—and before I know it, my arms are wrapping around him, my face tucked into his chest like it’s the only safe place in the world.
It feels like a hug from my dad. Or… as close as I’ll ever get again. My throat tightens instantly, and I blink hard. The tears come anyway—quiet and hot and wobbling my vision—but I hold them in, breathe through them, try not to let that spill.
Damn. I didn't realize how much I needed a hug like this one.
“I’ve been leaving notes,” I say after a moment, my voice soft and muffled against him. “Little ones. In places I thought she might find. They keep disappearing, so… I think she gets them.”
I swallow, my fingers curling slightly in the back of his shirt.
“And sometimes… I see a hummingbird. A little blue one. Never stays long.” It’s always nice when I think I’ve seen her. I’m never totally sure. “I want her to come back. To make it all right. But… she’s so afraid. Of what leaving meant. Of what it still means.” My lips press together, and I shake my head just slightly. “And since losing Dad, she's been so broken.”
the time has stopped, your mind has set sail
the road is home, the stars will light the trail
the road is home, the stars will light the trail
