~31~

                                    

                                          







                                     ~31~




                          
 "And in spite of it all, you're still my everything,
When we're nothing at all,
Come to think of it all, you are the centerpiece,
Around which I revolve."

                          
 <'Emily'> Jeremy Zucker



                          
———————————————————————


                          
HE STARES at her, unblinking, sifting through his scrambled mind for some sort of advice, guidance. His instinct, to reach for her, to hold her, seems wrong. He swallows. "Dani," he calls softly, causing her puffy red eyes to lock on his. "Where are we?"
                          
 Her teeth chatter as confusion passes over her features, hesitantly, her gaze flickers around her. "A warehouse."
                          
 He nods, "What colours can you see?"
                          
 He repeats his simple questions, the girl's breathing settling a little more with each answer. His concern eases slightly with that. 
                          
 She presses her palms to her eyes, her embarrassment finally setting in. She clears her raw throat, afraid to take her hands away from her face. She clenches her jaw, internally face-palming. She inhaled shakily, thankful that the man patiently watching her doesn't push her, or try to hold her. She can't handle it yet. 
                          
 After a few moments, she brushes her hands back over her hair. She peels her eyes from the floor glancing towards the window. She sighs slowly, clearing her throat. Her voice is raw when she speaks quietly. "We should go, I've held everyone up." She pushes herself to her feet, unable to meet his eyes which follow her.
                          
 His mouth opens 'are you OK' not passing his lips. Feeling useless, he watches her as she starts past him. Instinctively, he reaches to place a hand on her waist. "Dani," he murmurs again.
                          
 She straightens, her eyes fixed ahead. She hums. His eyes flicker away from her for a moment. "Please don't do that," he pleads, desperation seeping into his voice. It's selfish, that he knows. But he feels guilty, he needs her to look at him. He needs to know she doesn't hate him. He needs to know he has someone again.
                          
 She swallows, exhaling a steadied breath. "Do what?"
                          
 "Ignore me, shut me out, let me help you."
                          
 Her head shakes slightly, anger, at herself mostly becomes prominent. "OK then," she answers emotionlessly.
                          
 He blinks, a moment passing by, thrown off by her actions. She nods, proving her point. "You can't," she responds quietly. "Not about this."
                          
 "Maybe not," he agrees slowly, "But don't shut me out."
                          
 "What, like you did?" she asks suddenly, her head twisting to face him.
                          
 His jaw clenches fractionally, his lips pressing together. "I'm sorry, Doll."
                          
 The nickname brings her warmth, the comfort she desperately craves. She chews the inside of her cheek. She's tired. Too tired for this. Her stiffened posture relaxes and her chin drops. "Can we just forget about that?" she breathes. 
                          
 He hesitates, searching her for something else. She runs her tongue over bottom lip self-consciously. "Please."
                          
 His brows pull together, inclining his head. She gives him an appreciative glance, moving towards the door. It takes him a moment of hesitation before he follows, placing his hand on her shoulder before she opens it. Gingerly, he turns her to face him, slowly pulling her into him, his arms wrapping around her, his chin settling on her head.