The sun was already sinking when Hannah reached the end of the boardwalk. The wooden planks still held a faint warmth from the day, and the sea below murmured against the pylons.
Emma sat near the railing, a thermos beside her and her sketchbook open on her knees. The breeze lifted a strand of hair across her cheek, and she didn't seem to notice.
"I thought I'd find you here," Hannah said, settling beside her.
Emma smiled without looking up. "You said once you liked the sound of the water at night. I figured this was neutral ground—no lesson plans, no wet paint, just air."
Hannah laughed softly. "And coffee?"
"Always coffee." Emma handed her the spare cup.
They sipped in companionable silence while the last light faded. The horizon turned lavender, the first stars breaking through. A boat bell rang somewhere offshore, distant and steady.
"This place makes everything feel simpler," Hannah said. "Like the noise in my head finally quiets down."
Emma nodded. "It does that for me too. When I'm out here, the world feels wide enough to hold whatever mess I'm carrying."
Hannah leaned her elbows on the railing. "You make it sound like you're carrying a lot."
Emma tilted her head, considering. "Maybe less than I used to. But I still keep a few old ghosts around."
"Don't we all." Hannah smiled faintly. "I spent years convincing myself contentment was the same thing as joy."
"And now?"
Hannah watched the water catch the last bit of light. "Now I think joy's the thing that sneaks up on you when you stop defending yourself from it."
Emma looked at her then, eyes bright in the dim. "That sounds like something worth painting."
They fell quiet again. The night had settled fully, the air cool but soft. Down the beach, someone's dog barked once, the sound carried by the wind.
"I'm glad we came here," Emma said. "Everything feels lighter lately."
"It does," Hannah agreed. "It feels… real."
Neither moved for a long time. The water, the stars, the smell of salt and wood polish—it all folded together into something unspoken but certain.
When they finally stood to leave, Hannah felt the oddest sense of peace, as if the tide had rolled out and left calm sand behind.