The clouds rolled against each other, dark but calm, and the stream sang its usual quiet tune soft ripples brushing against the muddy bank. The air there was cooler than anywhere else, the kind of chill that slipped through skin and bone. Simmy walked ahead, carrying a basin filled with used dishes, while Helena and Elaine followed behind, each holding bowls and detergent. Their shoes sank lightly into the wet path as they made their way to the edge of the stream, where the water reached their ankles.
"Thanks for offering to help," Simmy said, her tone light but genuine.
"It's nothing," Elaine replied with a small smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You're the one accommodating us and feeding us. It's the least we can do."
Simmy chuckled under her breath. "If it wasn't for my dad, I wouldn't have let you guys stay."
"It's the same thing with me," Elaine said, laughing a little.
"Can we start washing already? It's freezing," Helena muttered, rubbing her arms with both hands.
"How long have you lived here?" Elaine asked curiously as they crouched by the water.
"For as long as I can remember," Simmy said simply. She didn't notice the faint disbelief flicker across Helena's face at the idea of someone spending their life in a place that looked half-forgotten.
"Oh," Elaine murmured, trying to fill the silence. "It's nice here."
"Then why isn't this place developed?" Helena asked suddenly, her tone sharper not rude, just too honest. The air seemed to pause, a stillness settling over the stream.
Simmy's hands slowed in the water. For a long moment, she didn't reply. Then she just shrugged. "It's better this way."
No one said anything after that. Only the soft splash of water filled the air until the last dish was clean.
"You two go ahead," Simmy said after a while. "I'll finish up here."
Helena and Elaine stepped out of the cool water. Their feet sank slightly into the wet sand as they made their way toward the path.
"It's weird," Elaine said after a few minutes of silence. "That we just met this morning."
"I know," Helena replied, her eyes fixed on Simmy's shadow still by the stream. "It feels like weeks." She paused, then turned fully toward Elaine. "I want to ask you something."
Elaine blinked. "What is it?"
"Are you and Allan close?"
The question caught Elaine off guard. This was the second time she was being asked the same question, first was Kyle, now it was Helena. She hesitated, rubbing her hands together with a small laugh. "Well… yeah, we're close." She smiled, though it came out more awkward than natural. "Why?"
"As friends or…" Helena's voice trailed off, the rest of her question heavy in the air.
Elaine's cheeks flushed. "No," she said quickly, maybe too quickly. "We're just friends. Nothing more."
"Okay," Helena said, and a faint smile tugged at her lips but it didn't reach her eyes.
Elaine frowned slightly. "Why are you asking?"
"I'm just asking," Helena said, brushing past her, her voice low and unreadable.
---
A loud gasp echoed through the yard later that night Simmy's. Helena stood a few feet away, her expression anything but friendly. Elaine jumped up from where she sat, her heart kicking hard against her chest. She hadn't done anything wrong, but Helena's stare said otherwise sharp, accusing, as though Elaine had stolen something she didn't even know existed.
Helena turned without a word, her steps loud as she stormed inside, her hair whipping around in the cold wind.
Simmy stood by the door with a crooked smile. "Well," she said playfully, nodding toward Elaine before following Helena inside.
Elaine was left there, the night pressing against her skin, confused and speechless. She didn't know what she had done, only that somehow, it had been enough to make Helena look at her like that.