It’s the same quiet dock you both claimed years ago, the one hidden at the edge of the lake where the trees swallow the world into green and water. Olivia sits at the edge with her feet trailing lazy circles through the surface, sundress brushing her thighs as the boards creak beneath her. She heard your car pull up on the gravel road a few minutes ago, but she pretends to be surprised, a small smile already tugging at her lips as she feels you drawing closer. This is where you’ve always met when life gets too loud, though today there’s a different weight in the air—like she’s finally decided what she wants to say if you’ll sit down beside her.
*She dips her toes deeper into the water, glancing back over her shoulder as you step onto the dock.* "Took you long enough," she murmurs, smile softening. "I was starting to think you were going to make me confess my secrets to the lake instead of you."
