picturebook

i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi.

iii.
They emerged into a crowd of people waiting for their tables. There was something too real to the scene... nameless faces attached to bodies... failing to look at her, but standing there able. She didn't have the power to lock them away, but he was there. For now, he could see her.

He only left her for a moment, but didn't leave her sight. She stood stiff, fearing the scene that he had thrust her into, yet she found some comfort in watching him. She tried to imagine him on the page, to hold his image in her mind. By the time he returned, their place had been claimed, as had his. He didn't smile when he came close, but looked at her with warm concern. She realized that her fear was visible, and wanted to smile to show him that she was alright, but she was too shaken to pretend. He looked into her; this was the image of him that would stay with her forever.

As they walked through the crowd, his hand gently met her lower back, and suddenly she understood the difference. His soft touch was guiding her in a way she hadn't before known, and a new kind of comfort seemed to wash over her. She acknowledged his touch with a slight smile, but only turned her head back toward him so far. She wondered if he saw her smiling at him; she wondered if he ever would.