Elle’s POV
“She didn’t cut her fingers once,” Lena said proudly, like it was some huge achievement. Honestly, it kind of was.
“I’m impressed,” Ethan said with a soft smile that made my chest flutter again.
We went back to eating, and I felt a kind of happiness I hadn’t felt in a long, long time. It wasn’t loud or exciting. It was quiet. Safe. Like I belonged here in this strange little pocket of the world. At this table, with this boy and his mother, I didn’t feel like an outsider.
For the first time in what felt like forever… I felt like someone.
We talked a little more, laughed over a few small things, and even shared a few more stories—none as personal as the fox cub, but still sweet. Ethan mostly listened, but I could tell he was enjoying it too. His eyes crinkled when he smiled.
