gely uneven, as though Willowbroo

it first in

shorter, his smiles softer and more distant. He lingered less by the counter, spoke more carefully, as if weighing every word before

self she was

ces, in quiet conversations, in moments that lived between the lines of what was spoken. Still, the

eaningful conversation in

le

ed when he thought she wasn't looking, in the way his eyes lingered on the shelves as though searching for som

ietly, painfully if

, a bundle of late looming roses cradled in her

g again," Emma said, se

ly asked, though

pace like you're waiting for someone wh

ing to straighten a stack

And I suppose Nicholas suddenly

fened. "H

usually look l

y's own unspoken fear. She swall

said gently, "h

"Why would h

ent for misunderstanding silen

Her thoughts refused to settle. She wondered if Nicholas believed she'd judged him for the letter, or for the weig

imed her, a knot of uncertain

e pockets of his coat. The water lay still, reflecting the pale sky like a sheet of glass. H

meant to

's words-it was the mirror they held up to his own life. Regret. Hesitation. Love le

olding the truth so gently, her eyes filled with

saw

e warmth she offered so effortlessly, he would drag her into the unresolved

n awful lot l

ssed withou

She closed the bookstore early, left the lights dimmed, and walked toward the ca

w

ed before him, his gaze fixed on the street outside. Lily hesitated, h

k a breath and w

cho

cross his face before something mor

I sit?" s

ourse

t conversation filling the spaces they didn't. Li

," she said finally. "And I don'

bing a hand along his jaw. "

n answer," sh

on there made her chest ache. "I didn't want you

Lily replied. "I felt... t

ghtly. "I thought maybe

. "But not in the wa

something-judgment, perhaps-but find

ou," he said quietly. "Because I don't know if

. "You don't get to

surprised

ability trembling beneath it. "If you needed time,

ppear," he pro

she replied.

g between them, r

erity in his voice was unmistakable.

arely

ttle. Outside, dusk crept in, painti

" Lily said at last. "But I need h

"I can try. If you're

her lips. "I think patience

isunderstanding hadn't vanished completely-it lingered, a reminder of how easi

like a

Nicholas hesitated. "W

that," L

ether, side by side, not quite touchin

r, the silence between them felt less