Yves closed his eyes, letting Alterain's words wash over him.
For a moment, all the pain, the fear, and the uncertainty faded away. There was only the two of them, standing together in the river, their hearts laid bare.
He never will? Should I believe him? Yves pondered.
But he remained silent, his emotions too tangled to give him the answer Alterain so desperately sought.
As the final rays of sunlight sank below the horizon, Yves felt Alterain's warmth next to him, a glimmer of hope for what could still be. He allowed himself to envision a future where they could mend the fractures of their past, yet the shadows of their history still cast a heavy presence.
The two stood silently in the water, the cool river enveloping their legs as the stars began to blink awake above them.
