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Chapter 45- Our Summer

Jordan and Alwin walk silently, the crisp morning air turning into drenching heat. The beauty and wonder of summer is fading now, the bright colors of June and July bleeding into the falling leaves of August and September. Gravel peppered with leaves crunch underfoot as they walk.

"Hey, Alwin?" Jordan mutters, the heat choking her words as they stumble out of her mouth.

"Yeah?" He grunts, wiping sweat off his brow.

"I just wanted to say..." Jordan swallows, forcing herself to speak. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Letting me spend the night at your place."

"Well, it's not like anyone else was going to," Alwin huffs, "and what kind of person would I be if I let you brave the night alone?"

"I don't know, maybe yourself?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

They walk through the maze of streets, baking in the heat.

"Nothing. Just... that when we first met, you didn't seem like the type to open your door to someone, not unless you had to."

"So you're saying I'm selfish? That I don't care about you or anyone else? Typical."

"No, I didn't mean it like that." Jordan stutters, "I just meant that..."

"What? You think I'm a monster? That I'd be unbearable to live with? I have ears you know. I know what you say about me when you think I can't hear you."

"You're taking it out of context."

"Out of what context? I know you all hate me... but especially you. And you're right, normally I don't open my door to strangers, but shouldn't that make you feel special? Maybe if you stopped for two seconds, you'd see that I let you in because I trust you. And these days, saying 'I trust you' means so much more than 'I love you' ever could."

Silence fills the growing void between them. Jordan silently says everything she wishes she could tell him.

"Under the blazing sun, in this never-ending forest of gray buildings, I find comfort in you. You might not be my favorite. There may be things that you do that I don't approve of, but I still like you. Isn't that what friendship is about? My friends...

"You're like a swiftly appearing fantasy, something I never knew I needed. When we're together, all the seasons collide. The sound of breaking waves mixes with your laughter until... hell, I feel like we're all at the ocean together, enjoying our summer. Perhaps one day, we'll go there. One day, we'll see the ocean of possibilities before us.

"Spread before your eyes is the ivory Milky Way, a blooming golden season like our summer. No matter where you are, no matter what season, if we're together, it'll feel like summer."

Jordan sighs, looking up at Alwin, "No matter what I think of you, no matter what comes next, just know that if we're all together, it'll feel like summer has come again."

Alwin smiles, knowing she didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Sometimes I wish this endless heat could burn away my memories of the past. Maybe then, I'd be able to live in our summer." Jordan mutters to herself.

Alwin leans over and whispers back at her, "No matter what season you're living in, just trust in us, and our summer will never end."