The wind seemed to die all at once. No more cold gusts, no rustling leaves, just dead quiet on the road as the three of us stood there like statues. Me, Aeri, and Sonny. The silence felt thick, heavy, pressing down on us.
I broke it first.
"Let's go inside," I said, reaching out and gently taking the grocery bag from Aeri's hand. Her fingers were cold, almost limp, like she didn't even have the strength to hold on to it anymore.
"Hmm… okay…" she whispered. Barely audible. Sweat was still shining on her forehead, her cheeks flushed deep red. She looked like she might pass out any second, but she didn't say anything about feeling bad. Just nodded once and started walking with me toward the stairs.
We moved together, slow steps across the concrete. I pushed open the blue metal gate that led down to our house. It creaked like it always did. Aeri stayed close to me, head still down, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold everything in.
