found Elias in the shadows of the aft deck. The air was thick with the rhythmic creak of the ship and the distant calls of gulls. "Thinking of home?" asked, his voice a low rumble.
The wind whipped across the deck of the SS Albatross , carrying with it the sharp, clean scent of salt spray and the promise of a long voyage.
replied, his eyes dark with an intensity that made Elias’s breath catch.
was older, with skin toughened by sun and storm, and a quiet strength that drew Elias in. Over the weeks at sea, their shared watches under the starlit sky had blossomed into something more—a silent understanding, a heat that simmered beneath the surface of their professional duties.