Amelia took her time closing the shop—
locking cabinets, wiping the counter, turning off the warm lights one by one.
Each click of a switch dimmed the room yet made something inside her glow brighter. Because Ethan was still there, waiting patiently by the door with the small green umbrella she'd given him.
He watched her with quiet attention, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed.
It wasn't the posture of someone waiting.
It was the posture of someone content to simply be near her.
"You ready?" he asked softly as she slipped her bag over her shoulder.
Amelia nodded.
"Yes."
He stepped aside to let her pass first, a gentle gesture she noticed but didn't comment on. She smiled faintly, touched by it.
Outside, the rain fell in a fine mist—soft, delicate, barely more than a whisper against the pavement. The air smelled of wet leaves and evening calm.
Ethan opened the umbrella and held it above both of them.
"You'll get wet," Amelia murmured.
"I don't mind," he said.
"But you're not getting wet."
Her chest warmed gently.
They began walking slowly, the umbrella creating a small, private world just for them. Their shoulders brushed occasionally—nothing forced, nothing planned.
Just closeness.
Amelia felt the stir of something fragile and beautiful beneath her ribs.
"Do you walk home like this every night?" Ethan asked softly.
She shook her head.
"No. I usually hurry. Keep my head down."
"Why?"
"It feels easier not to think," she said honestly.
Ethan glanced at her, voice gentle.
"And tonight?"
She let herself breathe in the soft rain.
"Tonight feels… different."
Ethan smiled.
"In a good way?"
Amelia nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.
"In a good way."
They walked past a small bakery, the smell of warm bread drifting through the night. Amelia slowed slightly, glancing inside.
"Do you want to go in?" Ethan asked, noticing her pause.
She smiled shyly.
"Maybe another night."
Ethan nodded.
"Then another night it is."
They continued their walk, footsteps soft on the damp pavement.
As they neared the corner leading to her street, Amelia hesitated.
Not because she didn't want to go home—
but because she didn't want the walk to end.
Ethan noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
"Nothing," she said.
"I just… wish the walk were longer."
Ethan's breath caught—
subtle, warm.
"We can walk slower," he said, voice tender.
Amelia let out a small, breathy laugh.
"That's not what I meant."
He turned toward her fully now, the rain misting around them.
"Tell me," he said softly.
Amelia looked up at him, fingers curling around the strap of her bag.
"I like being close to you," she whispered.
Ethan froze.
Not rigid—
just deeply moved.
He lowered the umbrella slightly, enough that the soft mist kissed the air around them.
"I like being close to you too," he said quietly.
"Really?" she asked, needing the reassurance.
Ethan nodded.
More certain than he'd ever been.
"More than you know, Amelia."
Her breath trembled.
They stood there, the rain a soft curtain around them, the streetlights blurring into warm halos. Amelia shifted slightly closer, letting her arm brush his again.
"Can we… stay outside a little longer?" she whispered.
Ethan's answer came without pause.
"Yes," he murmured.
"As long as you want."
So they didn't walk the final street to her building.
Instead, they wandered slowly, circling the block in quiet companionship. No rush, no destination—just the shared warmth under one umbrella.
At one point, Amelia's hand brushed his—not by accident.
A soft, intentional touch.
Ethan turned his palm upward, leaving the choice to her.
Amelia hesitated—
then slid her fingers into his.
Their hands fit together like something gentle and inevitable.
Ethan exhaled, voice barely a whisper.
"Thank you," he murmured.
"For what?" she asked softly.
"For trusting me."
She held his hand tighter—
not nervously,
but with quiet certainty.
"I'm starting to trust myself too," she said.
Ethan smiled, touched in a way he couldn't hide.
"And I'm honored I get to see it."
Under the umbrella, surrounded by rain and warmth, they walked together—
two quiet hearts learning, step by slow step,
how to move in the same direction.