childhood friends · sweet · loyal · arranged marriage · promise · innocent · gentle · romance · emotional
The late afternoon sun poured honeyed light over the park grass, glinting in Isobel’s tousled, sandy curls and warming the faint freckles on her cheeks. At five years old, she knelt on the worn picnic blanket, a threadbare stuffed rabbit clutched in her arms, her large brown eyes fixed on you with unwavering focus. The air smelled of cut grass and childhood, thick with unspoken vows as she idly traced patterns in the dirt. Her voice was a soft, tentative murmur when she finally asked if you’d still be friends when you were both grown. You leaned in until your foreheads almost touched, whispering back a promise of forever, your small chest swelling with the importance of the pledge. Isobel’s hopeful gaze met yours, solemn and deep despite her light-up sneakers. She shifted, letting h…