Noah's POV
After the market, we walked to the park by the lake. The trees there made wide shadows, and the grass rolled gently down to the water in soft, green steps. The lake was calm and bright, reflecting the sky like a mirror.
We found a spot under a big tree and lay down on the grass together, our heads close but not touching. Above us, the sky looked enormous, with white clouds drifting slowly by.
Olivia suddenly giggled and lifted her hand, pointing up.
"Look at that one," she said. "Doesn't it look like a sleeping cat?"
Adrian squinted.
"A cat?" he said. "That looks more like… a broken shoe."
I laughed.
"How can a cloud look like a broken shoe?" I asked.
He pointed again, tracing the cloud's shape in the air.
"See? That part is the heel, and that part is… whatever the front of a shoe is called."
Olivia shook her head and smiled.
"You're both blind," she said. "It's clearly a cat."
We argued playfully about the shapes of clouds—cat, shoe, dragon, ship—until we were all laughing for no real reason. The sound of our laughter mixed with the soft rustle of leaves and the distant splash of water.
I lifted my hand toward the sky, spreading my fingers like I could touch the clouds if I tried hard enough.
"I'm so lucky," I said quietly. "To be able to enjoy this here in Wrenford. We don't have this in the city. Just traffic and pollution and tall buildings blocking the sky."
Olivia stayed quiet, but I could see her from the corner of my eye. She was smiling secretly to herself, like my words had done something to her. That small, hidden smile made my heart race.
I stretched my arms above my head and took a deep breath of the warm air.
There was a quiet pause. The kind that doesn't feel heavy, just full.
We started talking again, jumping from topic to topic.
"What do you want for dinner?" Adrian asked. "If you say fish fritters again, I'm leaving."
"I wasn't going to say that," I said. "I was thinking… maybe something simple. Soup. Or noodles."
"Noodles sound good," Olivia said. "But only if someone else cooks."
Adrian put a hand to his chest.
"I wanna cook," he said.
"You burn water," she replied.
"Hey, that happened one time," he said. "And the pot was broken, not me."
We laughed again.
We moved on to talking about a stupid movie we'd all seen days ago—the one with the talking dog and the terrible jokes.
"I still remember that scene where the dog drives the car," Adrian said. "I almost choked from laughing."
"It was so unrealistic," I said. "But I still cried at the end."
"Of course you did," Olivia teased. "You cry at everything."
"Not everything," I said. "Just movies. And onions."
We even talked about plants we had seen in town, trying to remember their names.
"I like that one… what was it?" Olivia asked. "The one with the tiny white flowers?"
"Baby's breath?" I suggested.
"Yeah," she said. "That name sounds like a promise."
"Sunflower sounds like hope," Adrian added.
"And ivy sounds like something that doesn't let go," I said quietly.
"That's so dramatic," Adrian replied, laughing.
At one point, Olivia shifted closer and rested her head on Adrian's arm. He moved a little to make her more comfortable, and she closed her eyes for a moment, looking peaceful.
I tried to keep my face neutral, but inside, something sank. Every time they got close like that—their hands brushing, shoulders touching—it was like a small punch on my ribs.
I looked away, up at the sky again.
"Nice clouds," I muttered to myself.
I told myself it was fine. I told myself I was happy for them. I told myself a lot of things.
But the truth was, I felt a little sad. And that sadness sat quietly beside me on the grass, like an invisible fourth person.
Olivia's POV
The walk back home was slow. The afternoon light warmed our backs, turning everything a soft gold, and the town moved in slow rhythms around us. Vendors were packing up their stalls, folding tables, and stacking crates. Kids chased stray dogs down the street, shouting and laughing.
We stopped at a small vendor selling iced drinks. "What do you want?" Adrian asked.
"Iced tea," I said.
"Noah?" he asked.
"Anything with ice, I'm good," Noah replied.
Adrian ordered for us, and we sat on a low wall nearby, our clothes a little sticky from the heat, our bodies pleasantly tired. I held the cold plastic cup between my hands and sighed.
"This feels nice," I said.
"Yeah," Adrian agreed.
We drank quietly for a moment, watching people pass by. A little girl ran in front of us, holding a balloon that bounced with every step. A man on a bike rode past with a basket full of bread.
Halfway down the lane, as we started walking again, Adrian's phone buzzed. The sound cut through the calm like a small bell.
He took it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. I leaned over a bit and saw the name: Jack. The man from the next town he was working with.
Adrian's brows pulled together for a second, like something serious might be going on.
"You two go ahead," he said. "I need to take this call."
"Is it work?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "It won't take long. I'll catch up."
Noah and I slowed down.
"Are you sure?" Noah asked.
Adrian nodded.
"Yeah. Go on," he said. "I don't want to keep you standing here for nothing."
Noah took a small step forward, but I hesitated.
I looked at Adrian.
"Give me a second," I said to Noah.
I walked back toward Adrian. He had already lifted his phone, almost ready to answer. Before he could, I reached up and gave him a light kiss on the lips.
"Don't stay too long," I said softly. "Okay?"
He smiled, some of the tension leaving his face.
"I won't," he said. "I'll be quick. Promise. I'll catch up to you soon."
He leaned down and kissed me again, a little longer this time. Then he stepped back and accepted the call, turning slightly away as he said, "Hello?" into the phone.
I turned around and walked back to Noah.
He was standing a few steps away, waiting. When I met his eyes, I could see it—the look on his face, the tightness in his jaw, the way his eyes shifted away for a second. It was envy.
It startled me for a moment. I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it. The happy, light feeling from the day trembled just a little.
I forced a small smile and brushed it off. I didn't want to ruin the good day we had just shared.
"He'll catch up," I said. "Let's walk slowly."
Noah nodded, but he didn't say much.
We started walking down the lane side by side, our steps falling into the same rhythm. The town around us kept moving—soft, slow, and ordinary—while something unspoken walked quietly between us.