Page 46 of The Edge Of Us

"You too," he replied with a soft voice, warm and measured.

He looked down at Kyle and Astrid. "Your kids?"

"Yes. This is Kyle, and this little one is Astrid."

Kyle peeked out from behind my leg, eyes curious. Brittany crouched beside him.

"Hey, little guy," she said softly. "I like your shoes."

Kyle looked at her, then at me. I gave him a nod, and he smiled. "They light up when I run. Want to see?"

Brittany laughed lightly, the sound fragile but lovely. "Definitely."

He bolted across the grass, stomping with every step to make the lights flash. Brittany clapped her hands, delighted. She didn't ask me if she could pick up Astrid; she simply sat next to me and waited. Astrid wriggled in my arms, reaching toward her.

"You can take her," I said, gently transferring her. Brittany beamed.

"She's so soft," she whispered, cuddling Astrid close. Her voice took on a lullaby cadence, soft and dreamy. "Like a little marshmallow baby."

"She's teething," I warned. "She might chew on you."

"I don't mind," Brittany said.

Jasper was talking with my mom now, politely, his body angled away. Giving us space.

Brittany looked up at me suddenly. "You look different when you smile."

"In a good way, I hope."

She nodded. "You should smile more. It makes your eyes look... less tired."

We sat in silence for a moment. Kyle returned, flushed and panting, and collapsed beside Brittany.

"You're fast," she told him.

"I practice," he said seriously. "I want to be a superhero."

"I think you already are."

He beamed.

I watched her closely. She was calm today. Collected. But there was always something behind her eyes, like she was halfway between two versions of herself. Sometimes she spoke with childlike wonder. Sometimes she was just... gone. Staring into space. Lost.

"Do you like it here?" I asked quietly.

Brittany nodded, still holding Astrid. "It's quiet. The walls don't yell. People don't look at me like I'm broken. Just... folded. Like paper."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Folded can be unfolded."

Her eyes met mine. A beat passed.

"You're nice to me," she said.

"Because you're easy to be nice to."

"You don't ask about my family. Or the news. Or what I did. Everyone else does."

"I don't want to know those things. Not unless you want to tell me."

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