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We sat in companionable silence for a while before Arlet broke it with a soft sigh.
“What is it?” I asked, attuned to every shift in her mood.
“I’m just... it’s been a lot to take in,” she admitted. “I never expected to find someone—something—like you when I came here.”
“Neither did I,” I confessed, and then hesitated. My thoughts were a tangle of fears and hopes, and voicing them was stepping off a precipice into an unknown depth. But if there was anyone I could share these with, it was Arlet.
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of what I was about to reveal. “I have fears too.”
Her expression softened, inviting me to continue.
“I fear for your safety,” I began, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not just from those who would harm you for what you’re doing here, but from those who might not understand what you mean to me.”
Arlet reached across the table and placed her hand over mine—an anchor in turbulent waters.
“And I have hopes,” I continued, feeling my heart hammer against my ribs. “Hopes that this place we’re defending becomes more than just a battlefield—that it becomes home.”
Her grip tightened on my hand as if she could hold on to the words and keep them safe between us.
“Hayze,” she breathed, “Seeing you open up like this... it means everything.”
I met her gaze squarely, allowing myself to be vulnerable under her scrutiny.
“We will face whatever comes,” I pledged to her, my voice steady now with resolve. “Together.”
She nodded solemnly, but then smiled—a radiant thing that seemed to push back the surrounding darkness.
“Together,” she echoed.
We stayed like that for a long moment before Arlet rose from her chair and moved to stand beside me.
“Come on,” she urged gently, tugging at my hand. “Let’s go outside for a bit.”
Curious at her sudden change of mood but willing to follow her lead, I let her pull me up and guide me through the back door into the night air.
The cool breeze blew refreshingly against my skin of bronze as we stepped onto the porch. She led me down the steps and into the open space where moonlight pooled on the grass like spilled silver paint.
Arlet released my hand only to wrap her arms around herself against the chill—yet there was warmth in her gesture as she looked up at me through lashes kissed by moonbeams.
“This is our fight,” she whispered, but with an undercurrent of steel. “But it’s also our life—and we can’t forget to live it.”
“Yes,” I agreed simply because there was nothing else that needed saying.
Arlet reached out again and took my hand in hers—small and warm within my larger grasp—and together we walked out into the open field behind her cabin where wildflowers whispered secrets only they knew.
Arlet’s breathing settled into a gentle rhythm, a lullaby composed by the night itself. We stood together, her hand in mine, until the cold seeped into her bones, and she shivered. It was a subtle tremor, but enough for me to insist we head back.
“I should let you get some rest,” I said, releasing her hand as we approached the porch steps.
A flash of something crossed her face—reluctance, perhaps, or the faintest trace of longing. But she nodded. “You’re probably right.”
We stepped inside and I watched as she made her way to her bedroom, each step seeming heavier than the last. I lingered in the living room, the afterimage of her silhouette against the soft glow of the hallway light imprinted on my vision.
Once I heard the soft click of her door closing, I moved to the window, gazing out into the darkness that cloaked the forest. My vigil was silent but no less intense for its quietude. The world outside lay in repose, and yet my senses remained sharp, attuned to any disturbance that might shatter this fragile peace.
From this vantage point, I could see the outline of her form beneath the covers through the bedroom window. She was still now, surrendered to dreams that I hoped were kinder than some of her waking moments. Watching over Arlet as she slept was a sacred duty—an honor that stirred something deep within me.
My thoughts wandered through our shared mission—how each day drew us closer not just to our goal, but to each other. There was a synergy between us now; we moved together with purpose and understanding that surpassed mere companionship. It was as if our separate paths had merged into one, winding through these woods and beyond.
