06-03-2025, 07:56 PM
Her lips twitched a small smile for the warmth of the greeting. Emily always proved to be effortless company, a rarity Natalie valued because it was so remarkably genuine. Real trust was always either hard won or something instinctual. With Emily it had always been the latter – a sense that relaxing her guard would never be weaponised against her, that kindness was for its own sake, not a transactional process. It wasn’t the only reason Emily knew so much, of course. Circumstance played its part too, memories Natalie didn’t choose to dwell on. But those disclosures were some of the few she had never regretted sharing with another.
“I’m fine,” she said easily, some self-aware amusement in the pale glance of her eyes. It wasn’t a lie; any compartmentalised distress was buried deep, where it wouldn’t bother such moments. That had nothing to do with maintaining a guard, which certainly softened away in present company, and instead had everything to do with mechanisms of self-survival. She had little intention of bringing any shadows to this reprieve in her day. Truth was she was glad for an excuse to step outside the burden of her own thoughts for a time. “London wasn’t quite so bad as I imagined, though it was shockingly bad timing.”
When the waiter approached she amended the drinks order to water for the table. Something harder wouldn’t have been amiss, but was probably a poor idea all things considered, and it was easier to take the excuse to abstain. The teasing edge of her smile returned as she plucked up a menu, though it was Emily she was considering then, with no attempt to be taciturn about it. Clearly Natalie knew, or at least suspected, but she didn’t want to steal the joy of such news from being shared in its own time and way – nor presume it was even news that would be shared. She and Jared had barely been married five minutes, it’d still be early days. “Sooo, how was the honeymoon?” she asked instead. “You know you’re still practically glowing. It suits you.”
“I’m fine,” she said easily, some self-aware amusement in the pale glance of her eyes. It wasn’t a lie; any compartmentalised distress was buried deep, where it wouldn’t bother such moments. That had nothing to do with maintaining a guard, which certainly softened away in present company, and instead had everything to do with mechanisms of self-survival. She had little intention of bringing any shadows to this reprieve in her day. Truth was she was glad for an excuse to step outside the burden of her own thoughts for a time. “London wasn’t quite so bad as I imagined, though it was shockingly bad timing.”
When the waiter approached she amended the drinks order to water for the table. Something harder wouldn’t have been amiss, but was probably a poor idea all things considered, and it was easier to take the excuse to abstain. The teasing edge of her smile returned as she plucked up a menu, though it was Emily she was considering then, with no attempt to be taciturn about it. Clearly Natalie knew, or at least suspected, but she didn’t want to steal the joy of such news from being shared in its own time and way – nor presume it was even news that would be shared. She and Jared had barely been married five minutes, it’d still be early days. “Sooo, how was the honeymoon?” she asked instead. “You know you’re still practically glowing. It suits you.”