𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑 ˑ

                theater   was   ,   obviously   ,   something   ziva   knew   all   about   .   she   loved   the   arts   ,   and   all   forms   of   it   .   paintings   ,   dance   ,   spoken   word   ;   they   all   had   merit   to   her   in   some   way   .   she   hadn't   thought   she   would   see   much   of   that   sort   of   thing   in   pinehaven   ,   but   the   small   town   found   a   way   to   surprise   her   every   day   .   similarly,   the   residents   also   frequently   found   ways   to   surprise   her   .   they   were   nothing   like   they   thought   she'd   be   :   small-minded   and   perhaps   a   bit   old-fashioned   .   they   were   as   modern   as   anywhere   else   ,   although   she   was   sure   she'd   seen   some   outhouses   in   the   more   rural   part   of   town   .

                the   stranger's   kindness   was   another   way   that   she   was   pleasantly   surprised   ,   and   she   nodded   gratefully   at   him   as   she   tucked   her   legs   under   herself   .   the   grass   was   warm   beneath   the   blanket   ,   radiating   up   into   her   legs   and   slowly   thawing   out   her   cold   exterior   .   it   wasn't   that   she   didn't   like   to   be   around   other   people   -   she   loved   it   ,   in   fact   -   but   she   wasn't   used   to   being   in   a   town   she   didn't   know   well   .   her   staples   were   two   european   countries   that   were   far   from   here   ,   across   the   pond   .   she   hadn't   been   sure   what   america   would   offer   her   ,   but   she   guessed   that   she   shouldn't   have   been   so   shocked   at   pinehaven's   loveliness   ;   sachin   would   never   live   somewhere   that   was   awful   ,   and   she   knew   that   she   needed   to   place   a   little   more   trust   on   his   shoulders   .

                    “   thank   you   ,   ”   she   said   before   responding   to   the   question   .   “   i   suppose   nothing   changed   my   mind   .   i   didn't   know   there   would   be   something   like   this   here   ;   you   hear   of   this   sort   of   thing   going   on   in   new   york   ,   but   not   in   a   place   like   this   .   ”   new   york   was   a   place   she   had   performed   in   but   not   spent   much   time   exploring   .   she   longed   to   go   back   ,   someday   .   “   you're   kind   to   let   me   sit   with   you   .   may   i   have   your   name   ?   mine   is   ziva   ,   and   i'm   not   from   around   here   if   you   can't   tell   already   .   ”

                    𝐳𝐢𝐯𝐚. it was an unusual name. and it was obvious she wasn't from aroun. not just because of the unusual name, but because there was something about her that practically screamed "i'm not from here, all of this is new, and i still don't quite know what to make of it". and she was pretty— and no, that wasn't to say the girls in pinehaven weren't pretty, but again, there was something about her that felt different. or maybe, in the end, eduardo was just entertaining his own thoughts, trying to justify the impression that this stranger was an outsider, right after she'd confirmed as much.

                    —a place like this, huh? he pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his head, dragging a few dark curls along with them. his dark brown eyes came into view, thoughtful, settling on ziva's expression as though he were deeply considering her words. in truth, there was nothing particularly deep about it. he could understand that, to someone from elsewhere, pinehaven might sound like the kind of small town where tumbleweeds rolled across the roads and snakes lurked in the dirt. unrealistic, sure, but an easy image to conjure when all you'd done was hear about the place.

                    —pinehaven is a far cry from new york, but it seems they're making an effort to please. a faint smile tugged at his lips before he took another sip of his lemonade. —i'm edu— teddy . . . — and there it was again, that little fracture in his identity. with his feet planted in town, it felt as though the traces of "eduardo" slowly slipped away from him.

                    —my name's eduardo, but i guess it's a little too brazilian for people around here, so everyone calls me teddy. and i'm partially from here. i suppose i owe you a proper welcome to town, huh? — he smiled softly.                     —are you here visiting, or staying?

                  the   summer   sun   was   beating   down   on   the   park   despite   all   of   the   shade   the   trees   offered   .   there   was   a   gentle   breeze   blowing   ,   however   ,   and   that   meant   that   ziva   wasn't   sweating   her   makeup   off   just   yet   .   she   had   only   been   in   town   for   a   week   but   so   far   she   had   met   some   interesting   people   ,   tasted   some   delicious   food   ,   and   tried   to   settle   into   her   new   apartment   as   best   she   could   .   perhaps   it   was   a   brilliant   idea   on   the   part   of   her   company's   owners   to   send   them   there   mid   summer   bash   ,   or   maybe   it   was   a   simple   stroke   of   luck   .   either   way   ,   she   was   (   sort   of   )   having   a   good   time   .

                    she   had   decided   to   venture   out   into   the   town   ,   spotting   a   shakespeare   performance   about   to   start   .   as   a   lover   of   the   arts   ,   she   felt   it   was   her   duty   to   attend   .   she   wasn't   going   to   judge   !   .   .   .   much   .

                    “   do   you   mind   if   i   sit   here   ?   ”   she   asked   ,   approaching   someone   sitting   on   a   large   blanket   laid   out   on   the   grass   .   it   was   close   enough   to   the   stage   to   see   and   hear   everything   ,   but   far   enough   away   that   they   could   sit   under   the   shade   of   a   tree   as   well   .   the   blanket   seemed   to   have   plenty   of   extra   room   ,   and   what   better   way   to   hopefully   make   a   new   friend   ?   “   i   hadn't   intended   on   viewing   the   play   ,   so   i   didn't   bring   my   own   .   of   course   if   you're   holding   this   spot   for   someone   else   ,   don't   mind   me   !   ”

                    𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, despite the uncertainty between what is real and what is imagined, you can always reconstruct some of the gaps in whichever way suits you best.                     it was eduardo's first summer in pinehaven in a long time, and the memories of the last one drifted through his mind like a haze, hidden behind newer ones. something was there. at least a few things that mattered. things that stayed with you, like your first broken bone or your first kiss.                     the sun made the town's greenery come alive; it also gave eduardo the freedom to wear some of the clothes he'd brought from brazil. lighter clothes. it was the perfect weather for a pair of sneakers, shorts short enough to pass for swimwear, a white ribbed tank top, and a yellow fine-striped button-down. and much like an old soldier visiting a war memorial, he had been making his way through different corners of town to remember— sometimes accompanied by his grandmother, who was more than willing to tell him everything he had missed during the years away, and sometimes alone, like on that sunday at the park. just him, a large cup of lemonade, sunglasses to hide the eyes of someone who had barely slept after a long night of partying, and the promise of an open-air shakespeare performance.                     he was interested, and he wasn't the only one. people gradually settled onto the blankets spread across the grass. he almost felt isolated, sitting alone on a piece of fabric large enough to fit a small family, when someone approached. she wasn't familiar, but frankly, he couldn't consider himself familiar either. she asked if she could sit there with him, and when she suggested he might be saving the spot for someone, he simply shook his head and offered a small, gentle smile.                     —please, make yourself comfortable. there's more than enough room for the two of us — he didn't even need to move to make space. his legs were crossed, his posture relaxed. brown eyes peering over the frame of his sunglasses, which had been idly following the movements around them, were now focused on the newcomer.                     —what made you change your mind about the play?