|Katherine|
The island grew smaller and smaller in the distance, swallowed slowly by the horizon. I kept my eyes on it, unwilling to blink, as if sheer willpower could freeze the moment and stop the boat from carrying us farther away. My heart sank with every passing second, heavy with the realization that our time here was slipping away.
A pang of sadness rippled through me. The vacation had been too short—far too short. I wanted to stretch it out, to steal just a few more days beneath the sun, wrapped in the salty air and quiet freedom this place had given us. But reality was already waiting on the shore we were heading back to. Responsibilities. The countless things we had pushed aside, demanding to be picked up again the second we returned.
With a reluctant sigh, I leaned back again
