Within touch

You, Me, Us — Chapter 2 (cont.d from Chapter 1)

Photo by Mark Timberlake on Unsplash

She slowed down.

He was walking behind her, almost within touch.
She could feel him watching her, looking for a sign.

The silence stretched on.

And then he spoke.
He knew he had to. It was killing him.

“I’m so so sorry. For all the hurt I’ve caused you.”

He paused, and felt his heart’s warmth for the first time in a long long time. It was just a flicker, but it was there. A glimpse that gave him strength to continue.

But before he could continue speaking, she looked up, and without meeting his eyes with hers, spoke.

“Stop. This is not the place for this”

She knew she needed to be somewhere safe to face what was coming. And what she needed to say to him.

They started walking again, the dogs pulling on their respective leads, and headed for home.