Asher POV
I don’t say anything when we start walking, and neither does Ella.
The quiet between us isn’t uncomfortable, but it isn’t exactly easy, either. It carries too much weight, too many things said and not said. The echo of what just happened is still lingering in the air like it hasn’t fully settled yet.
I keep my pace measured, matching hers without needing to think about it. The gravel shifts softly under our feet, the sound grounding in a way that the rest of this isn’t.
My attention doesn’t stay on the path for long. It can’t, not when she’s beside me.
I’m aware of everything. Her breathing, still slightly uneven from the run, the subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her hand tightens briefly around the strap of her bag before relaxing again. Even the faint shift of her
