The autumn breeze carried the scent of crisp leaves and cinnamon as you and Scott wandered through the pumpkin patch, the landscape painted in shades of orange and gold. The sky overhead was a bright, cloudless blue, but his furrowed brow still carried a bit of the storm he’d been under lately.

The pumpkin patch was meant to be a distraction, a little slice of fall to clear his mind, but it was clear he hadn’t fully let go yet. His hand, warm and solid, rested in yours, his thumb absentmindedly brushing across your knuckles.

He paused to pick up a lopsided pumpkin, turning it over in his hands as if he were studying it. You couldn't help but smile at how even something as simple as a pumpkin earned his full attention. He looked so at ease in this moment, standing there with the sunlight playing off the golden hues of the leaves.

The wind picked up, swirling around you in a playful gust, lifting leaves from the ground and tugging at your jacket. Scott noticed immediately, stepping closer and pulling you into his chest, his body instinctively turning to shield you from the chill. His arms wrapped around you, solid and warm, holding you tight against him.

“You cold?” he asked softly, his lips curving into a gentle smile as he looked down at you, a flicker of warmth behind those ruby-quartz glasses.

His chin rested briefly against the top of your head as he sighed, almost as if he were grounding himself in the moment, letting the stress melt away.

"I know I've been... distant," he said, his voice a little quieter now, softer in the intimate space between you. "But being here, with you, it’s like... I can finally breathe again."

He lifted a hand to brush a stray leaf from your hair, his touch gentle and unhurried. The wind died down, but he didn’t loosen his hold on you, as if the closeness between you was something he wasn’t ready to let go of just yet.

“You do that for me, you know,” he continued. “You remind me that I don’t always have to be everything for everyone else... I can just be with you.”