can not shine if you do not glow

// won't you breathe with me? //

"Yeah, that works! It will be fun." Ah, she'd said that already. Well, she did mean it, and doubly so apparently. Laughing sheepishly she folded up the towel once they ran out of dishes to deal with. Night was falling outside the window; she could see their reflections in the glass, a scene like that of a painting or perhaps a fever dream.

It couldn't be real. Right? It just... It was the rose, and the late hour and her exhaustion that set her brain on fire with strange ideas. Some things just weren't real, no matter how lovely the notion. Tomorrow after a night's rest everything would be back to normal - or whatever passed for normal these days - and they would have a nice day out on the town and for a few days she would celebrate this turn in fortunes. Then... they would get back to work.

Running out of reasons to linger, Maea suppressed the reluctance as she passed Liam the towel back. "I should get home... before it turns pitch black out there." Yet just for a little while longer, the slender young woman lingered in the kitchen, strangely hesitant to break whatever spell this was.

Maea

// won't you take me to your heart? //

Tell the tales of the trail of dead
Lovers learned from slower hands

”It will,” Liam agreed. He was looking forward to the time to spend just enjoying life, which was remarkable enough that it gave him pause. Maea was searching for a place to live and thrive; was it possible that he’d been searching for the same thing? That rather than peace and solitude, he’d been looking for a greater purpose and a place where he could become something more than a sad widower with no one left to care for? It was something to think about, certainly, and it threw his time in the Greatwood into a whole new light.

Liam accepted the towel back and placed it on the counter by the sink. He turned to pour more water into his glass, then took a healthy sip, if only to have something to do with his hands. He’d never imagined what would come next, when he’d thought to invite Maea to dinner before. When she suggested heading home, Liam nodded, swallowing a surge of disappointment. It had been such a nice evening that he wasn’t keen for it to end, but he supposed that it must, eventually. ”Right,” he said with a small smile. ”Thanks for coming over. I’m really glad you did.” Quietly earnest, he gestured towards the rose. ”I’m really happy for you, Maea.”

Losing self in myself
And my demons make demands

Liam

// won't you breathe with me? //

Smiling came so easy today. Her cheeks ached from the unusual exercise, a sweet kind of burn she wouldn't mind getting used to. That she had made anyone happy - dare she even say proud? - of her was almost as monumental as finding the rose.

Made bold by the surging emotions, she closed the space between them and impulsively wrapped her arms around Liam's waist in a hug. Brief as it was sudden, she was gone before he could catch her, halfway across the room to collect the rose with her cheeks flaming - like it wasn't perfectly normal for friends to share a hug after a good time.

"Thank you for having me. See you tomorrow!" With her precious burden like a shield to protect her against any further assaults of unexpected events, Maea hurried to the door. Afraid that she would do something embarrassing if she stayed; worried about the reluctance in her legs to actually leave.

But she did. Just like that she was gone, with only a few crumbs of dirt on the table and an unwashed glass left behind to confirm she'd been there at all. 

[FIN]

Maea

// won't you take me to your heart? //