Luca
stepped in front of instinctively, like he always did. Despite myself and the situation we were in, the corner of my lips twitched into a smile.
He's the perfect man, don't you think?
We waited, and waited, but there was no other sound. So we moved.
We walked quieter after that. Each step softened against the underbrush. The sunlight barely reached through the canopy now, filtering down in green-gold fragments. Birds didn’t sing. Wind didn’t stir. Even the fireflies from the night before had vanished.
It was peaceful, until it wasn't.
All of a sudden, the trees leaned in.
I know how it sounds—ridiculous, maybe even mad—but I swear on every life that I've lost, the trees really shifted. Just slightly, like they recognized me and were bowing in acknowledgement.
I stopped walking
