ll blame me if anyt
ay, the kind of weight that comes from living through moments like this, not
ked straig
Not around him
to blame you," she
stood there, still, watching her. It felt deliberate, like h
" he said. "It doesn't. Not af
ded otherwise. The crowd acted like they'd gone back to their mourning, but she kne
n them,"
n ever
n gate, just for a second, then looked
as just
mped once in
want from m
thi
s not
more like recognition. Like she'd caught him o
" he said. "Most
le weren't
er wer
d. "No, I
or empty, just there, filling the space, a
ot bold or shy. Just searching, as if he was tryi
lse st
r name,"
saying it out loud suddenly felt like ha
e said. "Elo
ly, almost testing t
ike he was rolling it around in his hea
ow?" sh
et her eyes again. Quick, almost accidental, bu
said, "you
tryin
your
eyebrow. "Mi
ou
t, more than anything, ma
is arm gently, f
ssi
e was wa
. Eloise
needed to shout. Her black coat hung just right, everything about her neat and
n's sleeve. Not like she
u," she said softly. "She's
m f
. But she won't believe me u
loise. They soft
ren't troubling
blinked
ir manners when they're grieving. Curiosity wins out o
ke, quieter
was his
ust settled i
't have to sound so
stayed
ck to Eloise.
o last name
g it. "It's kind of you to come today. Not
er voice made Eloise's
eserved that muc
mile warmed
s. She just looked like a mother making sure he
n kept his ey
tracted pat before letting go. A gesture so n
"I shouldn't keep you
olite nod. "It was
u t
turned, already offering that same gentle sympathy
atched h
as his
rsh. Not suspicio
rs slowly relax, almost
Cassian said qu
im. "You keep t
keep igno
to back away-one
ad. The air felt colder over here, thinner too, like she'd
bbed her wrist from the side and yanked her hard into
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