Whitefish River tonight i'll have a look and try to find my face again

Eve never learns his lesson, because he thinks he’ll get a casual response back that reassures his suspicions untrue. Instead, River halts. The bearish wolf strides on, only stopping once he’s gotten a bit ahead with his smile falling. An apology, that is… confirmation, isn’t it? His eyebrows pinch.

Answers are what Eve thinks he’s gonna get, but he ends up confused the longer he stands there, patient and listening closely to River’s stammering even though he wants to stop him, to comfort and take back the awkward tension that now sits in the air.

“You’re nice.” That’s a relief. “I like you a lot.” Yeah? Eve likes River a lot too, so that makes him happy to hear. But that doesn’t… explain— O h.

Heat rushes to his face, and surely he must have heard him wrong, right? That doesn’t make any sense. I mean, not because they’re guys, but… because no one would—should—ever like-like Evergreen.

But he doesn’t have time to gawk and try to register what’s going on, or the confusing scribble that is his emotions right now. River is running, fleeing away from him again. It breaks his heart, the thumping of it making Eve almost wanna cry, because he’s standing here being left again.

He takes a step forward, second guesses himself—lowers his head, bites his lip—and then he runs after him. Hey, wait a moment! River, please.