“Yeah,” Audrey said softly. It made sense. It was very Zora. And she knew Zora was not interested in pushing her into a relationship and marrying her off like her family was. Zora respected her choices, her boundaries, and knew there was more to life than that.
So why did looking at Hallie suddenly feel so loaded?
“I love you bigger than the whole sky,” Zora said genuinely. “Even all that sky you can see out there.”
Audrey breathed a laugh, looking up at it. Clear tonight, dotted with stars. “I love you bigger than the whole sky too. Night, Zora.”
“Night, babe.” And she hung up, leaving Audrey to turn back to Hallie, who was suddenly staring down at the ground, looking more than a little awkward.
“Hey,” Audrey said, trying desperately for normal.
Hallie winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t.”
“Objectively, I did.”
Audrey smiled back at her as River slid the door open and stepped out to join them.
She shivered immediately, despite the layers she was wearing. “Thisis where you two chose to hang out? We couldn’t do it somewhere warmer?”
Audrey looked at her. “I’ve got to enjoy the cold weather while I can. It doesn’t get like this in LA.”
“Yeah…” River said skeptically. “Well, given that I already know about Audrey’s job, any chance I can skip this little rendezvous? I’m cold.”
Hallie shot her an amused smile, one that felt exactly like the kind Audrey would give Zora... “Of course. Do you want us to just come inside?”
“Nah. You two have fun freezing your butts off.” She looked at Audrey. “I can’t believe you moved to Cali when you’re this excited about the cold.”
Audrey shrugged. “People contain multitudes.”
She scoffed. “It was for the bugs, wasn’t it?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Well, you can put me in the same category as the bugs. I need warmer temperatures than this. Enjoy your ice-cold chat.” And, with that, she practically ran through the door and back into the bedroom, leaving Hallie and Audrey alone.
“Do you think I should point out that the bugs she’s likely to run into at this time of year are going to be in there with her?” Audrey asked conspiratorially, knowing River wasn’t the biggest fan.
Hallie laughed. “I beg you, don’t. She’ll be up all night otherwise.”
Audrey mimed zipping her lips shut.
Hallie looked up at her, her eyes a tangled web of emotions in the low lights strung around the cabin. “Are there many we have to worry about?”
“No,” Audrey reassured her with a smile. “A few are still active at this time of year, but you’re unlikely to run into them, especially if nobody has mentioned them so far.”
“Like what?”
“Moths, maybe, but I haven’t seen any signs of them in the house.”
Hallie scrunched her nose up, hugging her blankets tighter to her body.
“Not your favorite, huh?” Audrey asked with a smile.
“I don’t know. I get that they’re important and all, but just… the way they move…”
Audrey laughed and stepped a little closer to Hallie. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before. But they’re actually pretty cool.”
