~Aria's POV
As we stepped out of the shop together, Karina and I walked side by side, leaving the shop behind as the street slowly woke up. The morning light had softened by then. It wasn't bright and not harsh. Just a pale glow resting on rooftops and windows, like the town itself was stretching after sleep. I breathed it in without thinking, and for a moment my chest felt less tight.
Karina walked with an easy confidence. It wasn't rushed, nor slow. Just steady, like she knew every crack on the road and trusted it to hold her weight. I noticed how people greeted her as we passed. A nod here. A small wave there. Someone called her name from across the street and she answered with a smile that looked real, the kind that reaches the eyes before the lips even move. It made me feel like I was walking beside someone rooted and nice.
I wondered when I had last felt like that.
