Chapter 39: The Walk Under the Streetlights

The leisurely walk home from the diner took twice as long as normal because James continuously slowed his physical pace, deliberately stretching out the crisp autumn air and the comforting intimacy of holding hands beneath the warm amber glow of the downtown streetlights. Cortis was entirely asleep by ten o'clock, storefronts dark and quiet, leaving the empty sidewalks as their own private runway. When they reached the bottom steps of Lily's house, the porch light cast soft shadows over the weathered wood.