Mina’s eyes stung. She blinked it away.
“Always,” Mina said again.
“Come on,” Mina said, squeezing Elara’s hand and letting go. “Let’s get you some carbs.” Loving ladies 2024 01 16 -- 00-33-1226-04 Min
“Where…?” Elara whispered, her voice gravelly.
“Well,” she said softly, “you are.” Mina’s eyes stung
“No,” Elara said, and her voice was wide awake now, full of that quiet, fierce certainty Mina loved most. “It’s the day you drove all night so I could sleep. It’s the day you remembered my hash brown order. It’s the day we sat in a Waffle House at one in the morning and you looked at me like I was the only person in the world.”
“Sharing?” Elara asked.
She killed the engine. The quiet of the rural Virginia night rushed in—crickets, the distant creak of a wind-beaten oak, and the soft, steady breathing of the woman asleep in the passenger seat.
“Always,” Mina said. And she meant it. “Come on,” Mina said, squeezing Elara’s hand and
End.
Elara ordered hash browns. Mina ordered a pecan waffle and a side of bacon.