Bearclaw Valley and i hit the ground running

Cole had been keeping his distance. Not out of malice, not out of cruelty—just necessity. Or maybe that was a lie. Maybe it was cowardice.
He wasn't sure what to say to her, not after the way things had settled. Nephele had opened her heart to him, and he had walked away. He had chosen Winslet. And yet here she was, moving with purpose, arms full with the weight of her own kindness.
It was in his nature to step forward, to be of use. To stand there like a stone in the river while she worked—he couldn’t do that, not with the way his gut twisted at the sight of her.
His throat tightened as he cleared it. Do ‘ya… He paused, shifting his weight. Want, uh, help with those?
It was all he could offer. A bridge that wasn’t quite mended, a quiet gesture that wouldn’t fix anything but might, at the very least, remind her that he still cared. Even if it was from a distance.

SWOOPS