Chapter Text
“Thank you so much! I promise I’ll return it as soon as I’m done.”
You step backward toward the tent’s exit, careful hands closing around the pieces of chalk.
“Better keep an eye on her,” a voice says behind you, light with amusement. “I don’t think she’s bringing that back.”
You freeze.
You know that voice.
For a moment, you don’t turn. The sound lingers behind you, too familiar, too specific. Your chest tightens, caught between hope and the quiet fear of being wrong. Then your heart starts beating faster, and that alone is answer enough.
You turn.
“Ed!!”
He’s already looking at you.
Not surprised, just still, like he’d stopped mid-step the moment he saw you. His mouth curves up slightly, the kind of smile that never quite reaches his eyes right away.
“Did you missed m— hey—”
You close the distance before he can finish. Your arms wrap around him, sudden, firm. For a split second, his hands hover, unsure. Then they settle against your back, careful but certain, his posture easing as if he’s finally exhaled.
“It’s good to see you too.” he says quietly.
The words are simple, but his grip tightens just a little before loosening again.
You pull back slowly. He doesn’t step away. Instead, his gaze lingers, scanning your face like he’s checking something off an invisible list, eyes narrowing just slightly, then softening. The blond hair is still pulled back the same way, but the rest of him feels… different. A brown overcoat hangs neatly from his shoulders. A white shirt, pressed. Dark trousers. At his side, a suitcase bears the faint marks of travel.
You smile before you mean to.
“What are you doing here?”
His eyebrows lift, and he tilts his head, studying you in return.
“That’s the first thing you ask?” he says. One corner of his mouth quirks up. “Wow. Alright. Guess I’ll just go, then.”
He turns halfway, slow enough that you know he’s waiting. You catch the handle of his suitcase. He glances down at your hand, then back up, the hint of a laugh escaping him.
“Very funny. Are you staying somewhere, or just passing through?”
He straightens, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His gaze drifts briefly past you, unfocused, like he’s buying time.
“Ah… well.”
His fingers curl, then relax. He scratches the back of his neck, eyes lowering.
“I’m not sure,” he admits after a pause. “I think I might stay here for a while.”
He looks back at you then, waiting.
“There’s a hotel nearby,” you say. “It’s nice. Not too expensive. If you want… I could show you.”
For a moment, he says nothing.
Then his shoulders ease, and the smile that reaches his eyes this time is small, almost hesitant.
“Yeah,” he says. “I’d like that.”