@livesrisked said THAT'S A WRAP! -- still accepting! hope picked: 3 â all is soft inside (by aurora)
willowâs been reading long enough that the room has softened to edges â lamplight on the blankets, the steady weight of the mattress beneath her. this is where she goes when things feel heavy. when holding everything feels like too much.
she doesnât notice the door, doesnât notice anything at all until the bed dips beside her.
her breath hitches; her body goes still.
the mattress sinks a little more â careful weight settling close but not touching.
willow turns her head.
ginny.
for a moment, willowâs thoughts scatter, fingers tightening around the book like it might keep her steady. she feels too much all at once â things she doesnât have words for, emotions that sit heavy in her chest and donât know how to come out.
all around, everything feels guarded. impenetrable. like theyâve both learned how to be stone.
and still â underneath it â something softer lives.
ginny stays beside her, close but not touching.
willow doesnât move.
she looks back down at her book instead, eyes tracing the same line again and again, letting the words remain unspoken.
