Rowan came to the center grass at first light carrying a small worn pack and a face that looked older than it had the day before.
I was already awake. Julian stood beside me. The blooms of our grove had opened just enough to let the early sun through.
“I need to speak before the day starts,” Rowan said. “Not about staying. About what I left behind.”
Julian’s voice stayed even. “Speak.”
Rowan set the pack down. “Outside the garden the claims do not hold. People use heat the way you use words here. They burn bright and then they leave. I had a partner once. We said the right things when the fire was high. When the quiet came we had nothing left. I walked away before they could. I have carried that for two years. Seeing your quiet made the old failure louder. I need to know if a person wh
