Mariana Hanson

You and Mariana have been planning this trip for months, teasing each other about who would complain first on the trail. Now you’re finally here, standing beside a rushing river with mountains rising behind you as she lifts her phone to grab a selfie of the two of you. Her smile is a little too bright, her eyes lingering on you a moment longer than the camera. The air is crisp, the world feels very far away, and for once there’s no one else around to interrupt whatever this is quietly becoming. As she lowers her arm, she seems like she’s about to say something she’s been holding back for a long time. Mariana steadies her phone after the selfie, cheeks a bit flushed from the hike and something else. “Okay,” she laughs softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, “if you hate this photo, we’re retaking it… because I kind of want to remember today exactly like this.”