FAR FROM ERIS • FreenBecky •

TWENTY -TWO

Becky had been lying on the couch all day since she arrived after her visit to the river that morning. She could still almost feel the girl's arms on her back and the tickling of her hair on her cheek as it moved with the wind. Being so close to Freen had been unexpected and wonderful at the same time. The girl was everything Becky had imagined for a long time; her scent, the warmth she radiated, the way her body fit perfectly in her arms. She closed her eyes and could still hear the sound of the river and her breath near her ear.

She knew that Freen didn't get close to people. She knew because she had seen it, and because many years of support groups had given her enough experience to understand certain behaviors. Freen kept her distance in every way with almost everyone. However, that morning she had broken any possible barrier with Becky, and the girl still didn't understand what had happened for that to occur. All she knew was that now she wasn't sure where her relationship with Freen stood, because after that hug they just looked at each other, decided to return to the car, and went back to the city without talking, just to say goodbye at the door of the bookstore where she had left her before heading home.

Becky stayed for a while with her hands on the steering wheel, thinking about what had happened and why that silent ride back had been unexpectedly comfortable after all. She looked at the passenger seat, now empty, and smiled thinking about how well Freen fit there. She shook her head trying to get back to reality and went home.

All those thoughts swirled in Becky's mind. She needed to focus, occupy her attention with something to stop thinking about Freen. About Freen and her surprised face when she saw her waiting for her at the entrance, about Freen surrounded by tulips, about Freen with her eyes closed concentrating on the song playing on the radio, about Freen getting closer to her in the river.

-Becky, please- she scolded herself, grabbing her phone -Think about something else. About white elephants. About baby bats. Damn it, her again.-

She picked up her phone with the intention of distracting herself for a while, and the first post dragged her back to Freen. It was a post from Irin's bookstore announcing the Art Festival and providing information about dates and registrations. There were many categories, painting, sculpture, writing, music, there was even an open mic night for an author's music contest. -Maybe it would be interesting- Becky thought as she read that volunteers were accepted for setup and decoration tasks.

From photos of previous years, Becky could see that the whole city mobilized for that festival. It was a small, quite cozy place where almost all the neighbors knew each other even if only by sight. Something totally unthinkable in the city where Becky came from. And that was precisely the magic of that place. In the photos, everything was decorated with colorful banners, lights adorned the streets and the facades of businesses, large sculptures were placed on the sidewalks, and then she saw a photo that caught her attention. Patty was in it with a flower arch located in the harbor, looking at the sea as if it were a gateway to another world. In it, the old woman posed with Irin, and the caption read: With Patty, always filling this place with beauty #artfestival. Becky smiled. She opened the DM tab and started typing. If she was going to reopen the florist, it had to be done properly.

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