For a while, neither of them rushed to speak. The soft creak of the swing, the rustle of leaves above, and the distant sound of water from the fountain filled the silence comfortably.
Then the words began to flow.
William asked her about her childhood, about the things she liked to eat, the habits she had picked up without realizing, the monts she rembered clearly and the ones that still felt blurred. Bella answered honestly, sotis laughing, sotis pausing to think. She asked him about his younger days, about his work, about her father. His voice softened whenever he spoke of the past, but there was no bitterness left in it now, only longing and quiet acceptance.
Sohow, the conversation drifted naturally to computers.
Bella’s eyes brightened as she talked about code, about systems and logic, about how she liked the feeling of solving sothing complex late at night. William listened intently, nodding, occasionally interrupting with questions that surprised her with their sharpness.
"You write clean yet wild code," he said after hearing her explain sothing. "Efficient. You think before you act."
She laughed, a little embarrassed. "You sound like soone who’s done this before."
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Your father used to say the sa things. He loved breaking systems apart just to see how they worked."
Bella slowed the swing without realizing it, her heart tightening in a gentle, aching way. "I wish he was here with us," she said softly. She wished she had more mories of her father. She had always tried to recreate everything she could. She wished he was alive, so he could be proud of her.
William’s hand, warm and steady, settled over hers on the swing’s chain. "Through you," he said, his voice thick with emotion, "it feels like a part of him is. You have his kindness. His brilliant mind." He let out a soft, watery chuckle. "Though, thank goodness, you didn’t inherit his legendary stubbornness."
Bella’s breath caught. "Really?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
William smiled softly. "Oh, really." His gaze drifted sowhere distant, back into mory. "Your father was stubborn in the most exhausting way. Once he decided sothing, no amount of arguing could move him. He believed feelings mattered more than convenience, and he would fight for that belief until everyone else gave up."
Bella nodded slowly. "I rember that," she said quietly. "When I was six, he used to kneel down to my height before explaining anything. Even when he was tired. Even when he was busy." Her lips curved into a small, fragile smile. "He always said I deserved to understand."
William’s eyes shone. "That sounds exactly like him."
"He was very gentle," Bella continued, her voice warming as mory settled in. "He would carry on his shoulders everywhere. If I cried, he never told to stop. He just held until I did." She swallowed. "Sotis I still rember how safe I felt when he hugged ."
William listened quietly, his grip on the swing’s chain tightening just a little.
Bella blinked slowly in nostalgia, emotion rising. "I rember him brushing my hair every night," she said. "He wasn’t very good at it. He pulled sotis." She laughed softly. "But he always apologized and started over."
William smiled, eyes damp. "That fits him," he said gently. "He was never careless when it ca to the people he loved."
"He used to tell stories before bed," Bella said, her voice trembling slightly. "Small stories about kind people. About choosing to be gentle even when it’s hard." She looked at William. "That’s why I try to stay kind. Because he taught that first."
William’s expression softened completely. "That kindness is the best thing you carry from him," he said. "Your father believed the world didn’t need louder people. It needed better ones."
Bella’s eyes filled with unknown emotions. "Sotis I worry I’m too soft," she admitted. "That I should be stronger. Sharper."
William shook his head firmly. "No," he said. "You are strong in the way he was strong. Quietly. Steadily. Without hurting others." His voice thickened. "He would be so proud of the woman you’ve beco."
Her breath hitched. "I miss him," she whispered.
William squeezed her hand gently. " too. I wish he was here with us."
They talked until the sky began to change color, until the snacks were half finished and the tea had gone cold. It did not feel like a formal eting or a reunion filled with pressure. It felt simple. Natural. Like two people catching up on a lifeti they were never given the chance to share.
Later, William grew tired. The long day, the emotions, the excitent of having her near him at last slowly caught up to his old body. He squeezed her hand gently, told her to rest, and promised they would talk more tomorrow before heading inside with the help of the staff.
Bella stayed behind.
For a mont, she sat alone on the swing, letting it move back and forth under the quiet evening sky. The garden felt different now. Warr. As if it had accepted her. Slowly, she stood up and wandered along the stone path, her fingers brushing lightly over the petals of the tulips that blood everywhere. Red, yellow, soft pink. They looked alive in the fading sunlight, glowing gently.
Pulling out her phone, she took a few careful photographs, composing the shots with the clean, balanced aesthetic she knew Leo appreciated. She sent them to him without adding any words.
His reply ca almost instantly.
A photograph filled her screen, a breathtaking, boundless vista of sky and cloud, seen from a great height. The sun, setting sowhere beyond the fra, had painted the heavens in strokes of deep gold and serene blue.
Bella stopped walking.
Her heart softened as she stared at the screen, a smile slowly curving her lips. She bit her lower lip without realizing it, then tilted her phone upward and took another picture, this ti of the sky above her, pale and calm, frad by the tops of trees.
She sent it to him.
A ssage followed almost imdiately.
Leo: So you’re saying... even if we’re apart, we’re still under the sa sky?
A warm flush spread from her chest to her cheeks. She hugged the phone close, a quiet, delighted laugh escaping into the twilight.
Bella: How romantic... aww
She looked up again at the sa sky he was looking at from far away.
User Comments
0 comments from readers