Part- 389:
Her words caught him off guard, and for a brief moment, he didn’t know how to respond. It was rare for someoo see past his ambition ahe person behind it all, someone who, despite everything, was still figuring things out.
“Thanks, Mili. That… actually means a lot,” he said quietly, looking away for a moment to collect his thoughts.
Mili simply smiled, giving his arm a light, pyful nudge. “Just don’t let it go to your head.”
They shared anh, but it was softer, more intimate, as if they both uood something had shifted betweehough her of them would say it aloud. The fireflies tio flicker around them, casting ahereal glow over the park, and for a long moment, her of them moved, as if the world itself had paused to let them just be.
James looked at Mili, the light of the afternoon sun catg her profile in a way that made his chest tighten. There was something there, something unspokeween them, a e he hadn’t fully aowledged before now. But in that moment, he wasn’t sure what it meant, or even if he was ready to explore it.
“Thanks for this,” he said after a while, his voice quieter now, the casual ease from earlier having shifted into something a little more serious. “I didn’t realize how much I needed a break.”
Mili nodded, a soft smile on her lips. “Anytime, James. You know I’m always here.”
They stood together in the quiet park, the warmth of the afternoon sun still hanging in the air but beginning to cool as the afternoon slowly edged toward te afternoon. The soft murmurs of other park-goers, the distant hum of the city, seemed far away now, as if the space around them had bee their own little world.
As the light began to ge, the fireflies began to dance more intensely around them, casting an almost magical glow over the peaceful setting. her of them rushed to leave. her of them mentiohe subtle shift that had occurred, but both felt it—like a delicate thread of uanding woveween them, pulling them a little closer, though they didn’t speak of it aloud.
And so, the day wore on—an unspoken promise lingering in the air between them, a quiet anticipation of what might e . But for now, they were tent to simply be in each other’s pany, walking side by side as the world around them tio move, unaware of the quiet ge unfoldiween two unlikely friends.
As James and Mili strolled through the sunlit streets, the afternoon casting its golden hues over the city, Mili seemed more animated thahe warmth of the day and the easygoing pace made her feel unusually open, like each step stirred memories she’d kept to herself for too long. She decided to share stories she had old James before, pieces of her life that felt insignifit alo formed an essential part of who she was.
“Did I ever tell you I tried out for the football team?” she began, gng at him with a teasing glint in her eyes.
James raised an eyebrow, caught off guard. “Football? You?” He smirked, imagining her on the field, probably more focused on tag than actual footwork.
