Everest
Everest smiles at her suggestion and nods, the idea settling neatly into place. "An evening walk sounds good," he says, already picturing the light softening over the water, the heat easing into something manageable. "We can take our time." It sounds right, balanced in a way he appreciates.
He continues sorting the wood with careful attention, fitting each piece back into the container it came from so nothing rubs or catches. When he glances up at Isla again, his cheeks are dimpled, and his smile is genuinely pleased. "I’m glad," he says simply, hearing the happiness in her voice when she speaks of Sunjata. It matters to him that she’s been met with warmth, not that he could even fathom anything else.
At the mention of Mateo, a soft chuckle slips out of him. "He was excited," he says, then lifts his brows with deliberate emphasis. "Very excited." The memory is fond, a little amused, and comforting all at once.
Ever straightens just in time to accept the glass of iced tea, fingers curling carefully around it. At her question about his parents, he tilts his head slightly, considering how to put it into words. "They send their love," he says first, earnest and steady. "My mother was...delighted, and somehow unsurprised." A faint smile tugs at his mouth. "My father was very polite about it." He shrugs lightly, perfunctory politeness in the face of panic more or less the norm for a man like Finn.
He continues sorting the wood with careful attention, fitting each piece back into the container it came from so nothing rubs or catches. When he glances up at Isla again, his cheeks are dimpled, and his smile is genuinely pleased. "I’m glad," he says simply, hearing the happiness in her voice when she speaks of Sunjata. It matters to him that she’s been met with warmth, not that he could even fathom anything else.
At the mention of Mateo, a soft chuckle slips out of him. "He was excited," he says, then lifts his brows with deliberate emphasis. "Very excited." The memory is fond, a little amused, and comforting all at once.
Ever straightens just in time to accept the glass of iced tea, fingers curling carefully around it. At her question about his parents, he tilts his head slightly, considering how to put it into words. "They send their love," he says first, earnest and steady. "My mother was...delighted, and somehow unsurprised." A faint smile tugs at his mouth. "My father was very polite about it." He shrugs lightly, perfunctory politeness in the face of panic more or less the norm for a man like Finn.
even if i had to lose you to know you,
i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
i'd still be that temporary phase that you grow through
