"Perfect," he agreed, his voice soft in the gathering darkness. "Though I have to admit, the company makes all the difference."
I felt a blush warm my cheeks as I met his gaze across the fire. There was something magical about this moment—the crackling flames, the first stars beginning to appear overhead, the manwho had opened his most sacred space to me sitting just close enough that I could feel his presence like a physical warmth.
“How about we make some s’mores?” Miles asked as he grinned at me.
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You came prepared for s'mores?"
Miles grinned, reaching into another bag I hadn't noticed. "Christopher may have packed the gourmet meal, but I handled the campfire classics." He produced a box of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and several bars of chocolate—not just any chocolate, but the expensive kind that Julian preferred.
"Of course you got the good chocolate," I laughed, accepting the roasting stick he handed me.
"Only the best for your first s'mores experience," Miles said, threading a marshmallow onto his own stick. "Though I should warn you—there's a proper technique to this."
I watched as he held his marshmallow at the perfect distance from the flames, rotating it slowly until it turned a perfect golden brown. Mine, meanwhile, caught fire almost immediately.
"Like this?” I pulled my flaming marshmallow back from the fire, watching it burn like a tiny torch.
"Blow it out!" Miles laughed, and I quickly extinguished the flames, left with a charred black exterior that cracked to reveal molten sweetness underneath.
"I think I like it better this way," I said, carefully sliding the burnt marshmallow between graham crackers and chocolate. The contrast between the bitter char and sweet interior was unexpectedly delicious.
"A rebel," Miles observed with mock seriousness. "My grandmother would have called you a kindred spirit. She always burned her marshmallows on purpose too."
I took another bite, savoring the messy combination of flavors. "Did she really?"
"Every single time," Miles confirmed, successfully achieving another perfect golden marshmallow. "Said life was too short to wait for perfection when you could have character instead."
I grinned, licking melted chocolate from my fingertips. “I think I would’ve liked her.”
Miles looked at me over the fire, his smile fading into something softer. “She would’ve spoiled you.” There was a quiet weight to the moment—something unspoken but deeply felt. I let it settle around us like the night air, thick with the scent of pine and smoke. The sky above had turned dark, stars freckling the horizon.
We finished our s’mores in companionable silence, the warmth from the fire soaking into my skin, into my bones, until I felt drowsy and safe in a way I hadn’t known I could be. Miles stood and stretched, then offered me his hand again.
“Come on,” he said, voice low and gentle. “There’s one more thing I want to show you.” I followed him through the trees, our flashlight cutting a soft golden cone ahead of us. The forest looked different at night—more alive somehow, the sounds richer, the shadows deeper but less threatening with Miles at my side. We walked for what felt like a long time but couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, until the trees thinned and the canopy above opened to reveal a clearing.
And then I saw it.
A field of lightning bugs.
Hundreds—maybe thousands—of tiny glowing lights blinked and shimmered, suspended in the air like stardust that had fallen to earth. I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest as wonder filled me so completely I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes.
“They only come out like this a few weeks a year,” Miles said quietly, watching my reaction more than the lights. “I used to think it was magic.”
“It is,” I whispered. “It’sabsolutely magic.”I turned to look at him, and found him already watching me.
“I wanted you to see this,” he said. “To remember it. No matter what happens next, I wanted you to have this moment.” The lump in my throat made it hard to speak. I took his hand, weaving my fingers between his and stepping closer so I could rest my head against his shoulder.
“Thank you.” Was all I said, as he gave a low chuckle as I kept my eyes on the bugs lighting up the field. I felt myself lean into him fully, allowing the last pieces of my guarded heart to unfold in the safety of his presence.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Lilianna
We stood watching the fireflies dance for what felt like hours, though it could have only been minutes. Time seemed to stretch and compress in this enchanted space, measured only by the synchronized blinking of tiny lights and the steady rhythm of Miles's heartbeat beneath my ear.
"We should head back to camp," Miles murmured eventually, his voice barely disturbing the quiet around us. "The temperature drops quickly out here at night."
I nodded, reluctant to leave this magical moment but feeling the night's chill already seeping through my sweater. Miles wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we made our way back through the trees, the beam of his flashlight cutting a path through the darkness. The warmth of his body against mine kept the evening cold at bay, and I found myself leaning into him more with each step.
