Thank you

Darius and companies journey has come to an end.

Elara laughed, tucking the ribbon into her coat pocket like it was something sacred. “Do we stop him?”

Darius shook his head, lips curved in an amused smirk. “There’s no stopping Lyle once he hits the chorus.”

Inside, Lyle's voice soared louder passionately off-key, and Maren’s voice could be heard protesting over the strumming, “You’re not even in tune with yourself!”

The wind picked up around the lighthouse, carrying the scent of salt and cold. Elara tilted her head back, gazing at the heavy clouds rolling in from the sea, their bellies dark with moisture.

“It’s going to rain,” she murmured.

Darius followed her gaze, then glanced down at her. “How do you always know?”

She shrugged. “Not always. Just...sometimes I feel it, in my chest. Like the sky’s holding its breath.”

He studied her for a moment, then unzipped his jacket and slipped it from his shoulders. Without asking, he draped it around her.

“Darius,” she said, “You’re going to freeze.”

“I’ve been through worse.” He leaned beside her on the railing again. “Besides, you’re the one who feels the sky’s breath. That sounds more poetic. You win.”

She snorted softly. “Great. I win frostbite.”

Behind them, the door creaked open. Maren stepped out, holding a mug this time. She squinted at the sky. “If it rains, you two are going to be soaked. Come in. Or at least put up the hood.”

Darius raised a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t move.

Maren watched them both for a beat longer, then turned back inside, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Elara leaned sideways, just enough to rest her shoulder against Darius’s. “Thank you,” she said.

“For the jacket?”

“For...everything. For letting me in.”

“Thank you for not walking away when you saw what was behind the walls.”

Fin