"I love you, Ethea."
"..."
The words lingered between them before the wind and fading sunset light carried them away. Soren kept his gaze fixed on Ethea, waiting, his heart pounding beneath her palm as he searched her eyes for any hint of what she was feeling.
"..." Ethea stared back at him and said nothing for a long moment. Her expression was unreadable, but her hand, still pressed against his chest, kept trembling.
Then slowly, her lips parted.
"...You idiot."
Soren blinked. "H-Huh?"
"You absolute idiot." Her voice cracked, and before he could react, tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I've been waiting... I've been waiting so long to hear you say that."
Soren's breath caught. "E-Ethea..."
"I... I love you too!" She forced out the words, her voice cracking. "I love you, Soren. I've loved you for so long I can't even remember when it started. And you... you just kept calling it a promise, a duty. I thought... I thought you didn't..."
