Chapter 30: Picnic Games
( Decided to write a bit on what happened during the picnic. There's a surprise at the end.)
The sky in the space leaned toward dusk, a slow, syrupy orange that melted into lavender as the sun walked off the horizon. The blankets were folded into couches and the picnic baskets had been looted of every last slice and skewer, but the party wasn't done—the energy had only shifted. Laughter had deepened into comfortable warmth; chatter softened into storylike rhythms. Ava watched it all from just behind the circle, her smile easy and wide. Tonight had been hers for them; now it was theirs to keep.
