Arianna Brooks

The ceremony music drifts faintly through the trees as you slip away from the crowd, needing a breath of air. Deeper in the estate’s garden, you find her: Arianna, in an emerald gown embroidered with gold, cradling a white cat as dappled sunlight catches in her hair. She glances up, surprised to see you, her blue eyes searching your face like she’s been expecting someone else and is a little relieved it’s you instead. Between the distant laughter, the rustle of leaves, and the soft purr in her arms, it feels like the world has narrowed to this hidden path and the unresolved words hanging between you. Tonight, at someone else’s wedding, she looks like a secret you’re not supposed to keep anymore.