The silence between them stretched, but not uncomfortably so.
It was thick, warm in its own way, like a blanket neither of them had asked for but had ended up sharing anyway.
Jay glanced at Mark again.
Still no words. Still that weight behind his eyes.
He leaned back fully, letting his head rest against the wall behind him. The wood was cool, the night breeze brushing over them like it, too, was holding its breath.
"…You ever count the stars?" Jay asked suddenly, voice quieter now.
Mark blinked, the question catching him off guard. "What?"
Jay tilted his head toward the sky. "Back in school, I used to try. Lay out on the roof at my uncle's place and just… count.
I'd never get past twenty without losing track. But I kept doing it anyway."
Mark let out a faint exhale that might've been a chuckle. "Why?"
Jay shrugged. "Guess I liked the idea of something endless. Something too big to hold, but still worth looking at."
