She felt her own pulse and she fell silent for a moment before pulling away from under his arm. “It’s too hot out here,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s all.”
He gave her a small smile, his teeth straight and white. There was an extra set of canines; something that all demons had. "We'll see."
She looked up at him in surprise before giving him her own grin. Elves didn't have any anomalies with their mouth, but June's smile seemed to curve up naturally, her lips pleasantly pink. Sometimes, when he made her laugh, he would see her dimples. "You have a nice smile."
She flushed a little too, slipping under his arm. "Where did the Juni come from?" she asked curiously. "That's a new one."
He looked down at her, his expression thoughtful. "I'm not sure. I guess since your name is Juniper, Juni works as well as June."
"Well, yes," she agreed, looking up at him. Her expression was one he would be unfamiliar with and it would take him a moment to place it. She was watching him with something adjacent to adoration. "Juni works just as well. But it just doesn't seem like you."
He was observing her, his expression curious and soft. He folded his hands behind his back thoughtfully, tilting his head. "Would you prefer something else?"
She looked over at him as he lifted his arm from her shoulder, pulling away. "I mean, no. They're all good."
They walked for a long time. The heat was intense as the sun began to set, sinking behind the horizon and turning the sky a reddish color. In the distance they would spot a glimmering body of water and shops all around the shore.
Juniper had pulled her hair back, a pink flush across the bridge of her nose from the heat. Her eyes brightened as she saw the water, and she pointed excitedly. "Look, Zer!"
He squinted, watching as the shops lit up in the dark. "Looks like we've made it," he said with a small nod.
