As Ethan continued chatting away with Darren, Mark had slowly begun warming up to the large, tattooed man. Darren had an awkward, almost innocent charm about him that made it surprisingly difficult not to like him despite his exterior.
And across from them, Elara and Kaela were laughing together.
Ethan picked up pieces of their conversation, partly because of his sharp hearing and partly because the two women weren't exactly quiet. Naturally, Kaela was doing most of the talking and laughing, somehow with a bottle in hand.
'They're getting really close to each other.'
Ethan smiled to himself.
He was genuinely happy to see Elara getting along with Kaela. Kaela was one of the few people Ethan considered a friend, and seeing the two women connect meant Elara was finally opening up to someone outside of him and Mark.
That was something Ethan hadn't even realised he had been hoping for.
