elliot ethan holds out an open box with a sleek, subtle, gold bracelet inside. there's a tiny m attached to it. he smiles, offering it to her. "for you."
𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭… 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭. not because she doesn’t like it — god, no, it hits her like a punch, how soft it is, how thoughtful. — but because her brain short-circuits in that tiny, breathless way it does whenever life hands her something gentle and she has no idea what to do with it. her first inhale is sharp. her second is steadier. her eyes lift to ethan like she’s afraid he’ll think she’s ungrateful for the pause.
❝ ethan… ❞ it’s barely a whisper, her voice softer than she ever lets it be around other people. her hand hesitates before she reaches out — not for the bracelet, but for the box itself, like she needs to touch the moment before she touches the gift. the gold catches the light and the little m hits her harder than she expects. something curls warm in her chest. personal. intentional. hers.
❝ it’s beautiful, ❞ she says, but the words don’t even begin to cover the feeling twisting through her. her thumb drags slow along the edge of the box. ❝ you didn’t have to do this. ❞ she means it — not in the dismissive, polite way people usually say it, but in the raw, genuine way of someone who’s spent too long being given what others needed from her, not what they chose for her. her gaze lifts again, steadier now. there’s a hint of a smile tugging at her mouth — small and crooked. ❝ but i’m really glad you did. ❞
she slides the bracelet out with a careful touch, like it’s something fragile. or maybe like she is. ❝ will you…? ❞ she extends her wrist toward @5hroud, a tiny, trusting gesture that feels somehow bigger than the jewelry itself. ❝ i want you to put it on. ❞ there’s warmth in her eyes now — not the bright, confident kind she uses to deflect, but something meant only for him.
