So she simply stared, at his warm, brown eyes. There was a fleeting thought to grab his hand, as a way to say she understood, but as she inched her hand towards his, she chickened out. She understood the significance of the place, and she wished she could have done something about his past, but she didn’t even know what to say, or if she should say anything at all. Not the swim team, not the stupid friends I had back then.”Ī distant glaze had settled on his soft, almond eyes, and Lake couldn’t help but stare. “Here, I could always be myself without anyone to judge me for it. Or when I’m with you, he wanted to add, but didn’t. I don’t feel that pressure when I’m here.” “I know it sounds dumb, but the pressure to just be sort-of… I guess, one-dimensional, gets to you. ![]() And Nate was too young to understand.” He sighed. Máá and Taa were always busy with work or with Nate. I was always cool with everyone, but I wasn’t like, close to anyone. “I never had anyone to really talk to, if that makes sense. Now was not the time to ruin the intimacy of the moment, so for once, she stayed quiet and just listened. It was a rare thing to see him so serious: the last time he’d opened up to her was probably on the Train. Lake was about to make a sarcastic remark, but seeing the way Jesse’s eyes flitted down, almost sadly, she bit her tongue. But then people just don’t take me seriously. I just feel really pressured to, like, entertain people all the time. “I guess,” he agreed, “but it gets tiring. Congeniality, but you’re such a social butterfly it’s hard to believe you’d ever want to be alone,” she teased. Y’know, when I just needed some time alone.” “I used to come here all the time as a kid. Lake leaned back, too, copying her friend’s position. Spending several weeks in a supernatural train with nothing but each other and a magic deer as company does make the heart grow fonder. Though she was too prideful to admit it, she missed him and his antics. “I just feel like we haven’t hung out in a while.” His face felt warm. “No particular reason.” He leaned back on his hands, letting his legs hang over the edge of the rock. “C’mon,” Jesse said, stepping ahead of her and climbing up the boulder. Resting there was a huge, flat-topped boulder that peeked out over the lake. Jesse, on the other hand, observed her fondly, his face tinting slightly, even as Lake remained none the wiser.Įventually, they reached their apparent destination: a humble, little clearing that led directly to an area of the lake, that was partially shrouded by a bushy strip of land that jutted in. Between the brief, small-talk conversations, a comfortable silence fell upon them, in which Lake turned her attention to the muted rays of sun that filtered through the trees and reflected off her skin. ![]() They took a long path through the small patch of woods near Jesse’s house, one that winded around the lake at its center. Sure, whatever, Lake had replied, with a flick to his forehead. For no specific reason at all whatsoever none at all, he’d insisted, even as his voice cracked nervously. Today in particular, Jesse had insisted on Lake going out for a walk with him. It was barely the first week of summer when their schedules finally eased up. Exploring the city, finding her style, making up for lost time, and all that. Lake, on the other hand, was occupied with discovering herself and the world around her. ![]() Nearing the end of the school year, Jesse had been busy with studying for finals and practicing for swim competitions- state championships this time. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to spend time together, because they had made efforts for movie nights as often as they could, but their individual lives could get hectic, and the last time they’d watched a movie was at least two weeks ago. ![]() As of recently, Jesse and Lake found themselves spending a lot of time apart.
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