Sweet | Mature

Elena didn't look up from her work. Her hands moved with a rhythmic, unhurried grace. "The rush is just noise, Julian. It’s what happens when you’re afraid the silence will tell you something you don't want to hear."

One night, as the crickets hummed in the tall grass of the backyard, Julian leaned back in his chair. "I used to think getting older was just a slow fading out," he admitted. sweet mature

She handed him a cherry. It wasn't the bright red, crunchy kind found in grocery store bins. It was a Rainier, speckled with gold, its skin yielding to a flesh that was dense and honeyed. Elena didn't look up from her work