{EMY}
Later, sitting by the lake under a sky filled with stars, I realized something.
Night settled over the lake like a held breath.
The others eventually drifted back inside—Kai complaining about bugs, Lance muttering something about "rustic nonsense," Eric reminding everyone that chores didn't magically disappear just because it was dark.
I stayed.
The wooden deck was cool beneath me as I sat with my knees drawn up, staring at the lake.
The water reflected the stars so clearly it felt like the sky had folded in on itself.
Footsteps sounded behind me.
I didn't turn right away because I knew who it was.
Ren stopped a few steps away, close enough that I could feel his presence without seeing him. He didn't speak. Just stood there, hands probably in his pockets, shoulders relaxed in that way that suggested he was trying not to intrude.
"You don't have to hover," I said lightly.
"I wasn't."
A pause.
"…Hovering," he amended.
