AFTER FORSAKEN. ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

「 The grass swayed gently around them, rustling like a whisper. Wildflowers dotted the hill, dancing with the wind. Below them, the world was still—soft golden light casting long shadows across rooftops and trees. A gentle slope, wild with grass that tickled their ankles and flowers that had never learned discipline. Bees buzzed lazily past, too full of pollen to bother with anything else. The world was calm here—like it had taken a breath and decided to hold it for them. 」

「 The sky was glowing. Warm streaks of gold melted into soft rose and sleepy lavender, bleeding into the horizon like a memory. The sun, low and lingering, sat heavy over the fields below. It didn’t rush. Neither did they. 」

「 John lay on his back in the grass, arms folded behind his head, eyes half-lidded. Jane sat beside him with her knees pulled to her chest, chin resting in the curve between her arms. Her boots were kicked off somewhere behind them. The breeze tugged gently at her hair. They’d climbed this hill a hundred times before. But today felt different. Quieter. Softer. 」

「 Beside him, Jane sat upright with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her boots were off, tossed carelessly behind her. Her hair fluttered with each breeze, catching bits of sun. Jane sat cross-legged in the grass, her jacket draped over her shoulders. 」

「 After everything, this was all they needed. His fingers brushed against hers, and she gently laced them together. He turned his head to look at her, and for a moment, he didn’t see the version of her from before. No shadows. Just her. He smiled. 」

「 JOHN DOE 」: “It’s quiet,” John said softly, like he was still trying not to scare it away.

「 JANE DOE 」: “Yeah,” Jane replied, voice barely above a whisper. “It’s a good kind of quiet.”

「 He shifted, looking toward her but not quite meeting her eyes. He let out a long breath that didn’t shake. She leaned her head against his shoulder. Silence returned—not empty, but full. Just the wind, the grass, the sun slipping into night, and them. Their hands found each other naturally, fingers locking like puzzle pieces they hadn’t touched in a long time. It was easy now. Gentle. John’s thumb brushed over her knuckles. Then he said, more quietly: 」

「 JOHN DOE 」: “You know what I keep thinking?” John murmured.

「 JANE DOE 」: “Hmm?”

「 JOHN DOE 」: “I don’t want anything bigger than this. Not anymore. Just… more of this. More sunsets. More you.”

「 Jane’s heart caught in her chest—time seemed to stretch and fold around them. The grass whispered against itself, the flowers nodded in rhythm with the wind, and the horizon burned with slow, deliberate color. A faint scent of wild mint and damp earth filled the air. John could hear Jane’s breathing sync with his own, slow and steady, grounding him in a way nothing else could. Every flicker of sunlight across her hair, every subtle movement, was etched into his memory, like a painting he could return to when the night threatened to blur reality. 」

「 JANE DOE 」: “Oh, John..”

「 Below them, the town lights began to flicker on, tiny points of warmth waking from the sun’s retreat. A soft hum of distant life rose to meet the wind: a dog barking, a car starting, faint voices carried through the streets. But up here, on the hill, it didn’t matter. Their world was smaller, quieter, contained within the warmth of their closeness, the gentle pressure of their hands pressed together. 」

「 John exhaled slowly, letting the calm of the world wrap around him. He tilted his head, just enough to catch the glint of sun on her lashes, and felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the fading light. The wind tugged at the edges of Jane’s hair, and he tucked it behind her ear without thinking, a gesture that belonged to the intimacy of small, unspoken moments. 」