Walking along the familiar path, he looked up, and as always, the trees seemed to change like magic. This time was no different. Among a sky of green, specks of amber scorched the edges, subtle heralds of autumn. They say hair holds memories; you could see it in the stubborn ruby leaves that refused to bend.
He wondered if trees remembered too.
Amid light laughter and the faint scent of yeast from a nearby bakery, two pairs of footsteps drifted in and out of sync. They were not deaf to the world: the shadow of seven trees flickered like flames in a lantern, but the candle had not burned out yet. In its final glory, a few sparks still flared, unnoticed by them both.
“Honestly, I have lived with him for a while now, but it is still hard to get used to,” Lukas admitted, words tumbling out as if they had been waiting for release. “Maybe it is because I have only ever lived with family before… or maybe it is just his stubborn streak.”
Kyan let out a low laugh. “Could not it be both?”
Lukas blew a strand of hair out of his eyes, a small huff escaping. “He means well. I know that. I cannot really ask for more. It is just, he is scattered. Forgetful. The kind of person who leaves trails everywhere he goes.”
“Would not be Aidan if he was not a mess.” Kyan nodded, shelving away the little tug of recognition at the mention of family. He would ask, one day.
Under an orange sky ablaze, the two came upon the empty playground and settled side by side on the swings, chains creaking as they pushed gently off the ground.
It was all too familiar, these quiet moments with him. It felt as if no time had passed since high school, as if nothing had changed.
“These swings got smaller,” Kyan stretched his legs. “I swear they were not this low back then. And that was not even long ago.”
Lukas laughed, loud, unguarded, the sound bubbling free of pressure.
Kyan smiled, the sound pulling something loose in him. “You know, my parents used to joke about me being old enough to date. They would tease me, drop names of classmates, ‘What about her? What about him? You are always around them.’ “ He shook his head, laughing softly at the memory. “I brushed it off every time. It felt ridiculous back then.”
Lukas tilted his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “And now?”
Kyan hesitated, fingers tightening slightly on the swing’s chain. The creak of metal, the hush of the breeze, the scent of leaves, it all seemed to hold its breath. “Now…” His voice trailed, gentled, as though the words might break if he forced them. “I thought… if it is you, I would not mind giving it a try.”
Lukas turned, the fading light catching on his face as if the sky itself waited for his answer.
Adapted @sssymn LuKy writing with an extra confession scene. Just a little writing swap ~ A fair amount of the words aren’t mine.
