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"You go ahead."
With that, Zach and Daisy left and headed to the centre of the beach. He didn't know what to think of Daisy yet, because he'd just met her, but that wasn't really his priority at the moment. No, he just felt it was right to stay with El.
His thoughts broke off as he heard sounds of ruffling.
El was packing her stuff.
He stared. "You're going?"
She looked up in surprise, as if not expecting him to still be here. "Oh, yeah," she said absentmindedly. "I'm feeling a little bit tired. I think I'll just go home."
He didn't bring up the fact that she literally just told Zach that she'd stay for work. "Mind if I walked with you?"
Because there was something underneath that smile that he couldn't place his finger on.
El blinked. "Is that an offer, Samuels?"
"Depends on your answer, McKinney."
A slow grin appeared on her face, and it wasn't long until the two were walking on the streets of the District. Daylight showed its face, giving the endless road and local boutiques a new allure to it. The flowers on the side of the paths only amplified its charm — lilies, dandelions and roses blooming under the summer sun.
Everything looked the same, but everything couldn't be more different.
The first time they walked through here, they were almost nothing to each other. Theo had barely opened up, and El was just the sweet, talkative girl who happened to be there whenever things fucked up.
What were they to each other now? They were friends, that's for sure, but that was too simple of a word for them. It was not enough to describe the levels of vulnerability and emotional intimacy the two had shared. It was not enough to describe how she'd given him colours that started to bloom inside him, like the flowers they saw.
All these thoughts racing in his head, but a different one roared inside him, loud and unshakeable: he wanted her to see more of him.
He wanted her —
"So, that Daisy is your friend?" he started quickly, anything to stop his maddening thoughts.
El took a little while longer to respond, and he turned to her, seeing her eyebrows scrunch in the subtlest of ways.
