Ethan and Kathrine lingered in the park for a while longer, the earlier scare slowly fading into a quiet calm. Once they were sure she was fine, they made their way back to the car and climbed in.
"So," Ethan said as he settled behind the wheel, glancing at her with a faint smile, "where do you want to jump next?"
He surprised himself with how easily the words came. Earlier, he had felt almost dragged into the day. Now, he found himself genuinely enjoying her spontaneity, the way it pulled him out of his own rigid world.
Kathrine laughed softly as she fastened her seatbelt. "You sound excited now," she teased, arching a brow at him.
Ethan didn't bother denying it. He only smiled, started the engine, and pulled the car back onto the road, the city stretching ahead of them and the promise of something unexpected lingering comfortably in the air.
***
