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Zoey could see the pain in Lux’s eyes, the kind of pain that never really went away, no matter how much time passed.

“What was she like?” Zoey asked, hoping it wasn’t too personal.

Lux smiled, a distant look in her eyes. “She was amazing. Strong, kind, funny. She had this way of making everyone around her feel special. At least that’s what my dad told me.”

“Wait, you didn’t–”

“I didn’t get to meet her. I mean, I did, but I don’t have any memory of her. I was still so little when she died.”

“I’m so sorry about that.”

Lux crouched, eyeing the fish swimming by. The sun continued to rise, casting a soft, golden light across the water. She could hear the gentle lapping of the water against the shore, the distant chirping of birds.

Zoey stood beside her, watching closely. “So, you really know how to fish?”

Zoey mimicked Lux’s position, and Lux chuckled.

“Relax your shoulders,” Lux said. “You’re too tense.”

Zoey sighed and loosened her body. “I’m just worried I’ll mess it up.”

“You won’t,” Lux assured her. “Just follow my lead.”

They both stood, staring at the water. When a particularly large fish swam close to them, Lux said, “Now!”

Zoey squeezed her eyes shut and thrust her arm in the water. She swiped like Lux had shown her, and she pulled out the wriggling, slimy fish.

“We did it!” Zoey said, her face lighting up with joy as she clutched the flailing fish.

Lux couldn’t help but smile, the sight of Zoey’s happiness warming something inside her. “You did it,” she corrected, her voice filled with pride.

Zoey looked at the fish, then back at Lux, her expression one of disbelief. “I actually caught a fish.”

“You did,” Lux said, her smile widening. “Not bad for your first time.”

Zoey laughed, the sound light and carefree. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Lux felt something shift inside her. Maybe, just maybe, she could let herself be open to this, to whatever it was that was growing between them.

Maybe she could let herself be vulnerable, just this once.

They walked back to shore, Zoey still clutching the fish that stopped moving.

Lux glanced at her, studying her face for a moment. “You don’t have any siblings, do you?”

Zoey shook her head. “I’ve got two. My brother’s in the military. My older sister works as a teacher.”

“Middle child?” Lux raised a brow.

“Middle child,” Zoey said.

They fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of the river filling the space between them. Zoey watched the soft ripples in the water as her thoughts drifted.

A faint crackling sound broke through the quiet. They both turned their heads toward the source, eyes widening as they realized what it was.

“The phone,” Zoey said, scrambling to her feet.

They hurried over to where they had left it, beside a tree a few feet away from the riverbank. Zoey grabbed the phone, her hands shaking slightly as she stared at the screen and accepted the call.