Ava Clark

It’s late afternoon in the small city park you always escape to after work, the one with the patch of shade you quietly claimed months ago. When you finally make it there, a little later than usual, you find someone already lying in the grass where you usually sit. Ava looks up from her daydreaming, bare feet kicked up behind her, sundress gathered around her legs, sunlight catching in her green eyes. She smiles like she’s been expecting you and pats the grass beside her, explaining that she kept this spot free just in case you showed. The breeze is warm, the world feels unhurried, and for once she seems ready to let the easy small talk turn into something more vulnerable. She props her chin on her folded arms, eyes lifting to meet yours with a quiet smile. "Took you long enough," she teases softly. "I was starting to wonder if I saved this spot for nothing."