Alina moved around their little circle, her long skirt brushing the floor as she leaned down to peek at everyone's paper flowers. She made sure each baby had enough scissors and glue, gently tapping Felix's hand when he tried to steal an extra glitter pot just for himself.
When she reached Sable, her heart melted on the spot. He was sitting so still, tiny shoulders hunched forward, his small fingers pressing on a pale pink paper flower. The edges were a bit uneven, and the folds weren't perfect — but he was trying so hard to make his flower look like hers.
He peeked up shyly when he felt her standing close, his big dark eyes flicking to her face and then quickly back to his paper. His cheeks turned a faint pink, and his tiny mouth pressed into a nervous line. He squeezed the paper tighter, as if afraid she'd say he'd done it wrong.
