She has wandered for so long that she has forgotten what it is like to interact with someone else. Wandered for so long that she is surprised to find that she is both thrilled and terrified of the prospect of it, unsure of whether she would be unable to stop talking or unable to start. It races through her and she just watches as he sees her and looks toward her, feels pinned to the spot as their gaze snags on one another.
He remembers her.
Something warm blossoms in her chest and she cannot stop the warmth that continues to project to him, the uncertain joy of being recognized, of being worthy of being remembered. The heat finds her cheeks and she drops her head a little, a smile growing in the corner of her mouth. When he asks her to stay, she glances up, finding his eyes again and she shifts her weight a little, the ice cracking down her spine.
“I won’t,” she promises, although she doesn’t know if it’s a promise that she can keep. The uncertainty of it though races down the line she has now connected to him, as if shouting her every feeling toward him. It’s been so long since she’s interacted with someone that she’s not sure how to turn it off once she’s opened it up, the flood dam rushing forward in response to the moment, latching onto him fiercely.
The embarrassment and vulnerability quickly follow the uncertainty and she bites down hard, a muscle working in her jaw as she realizes all of the emotions that she is feeding him—the constant stream of it.
Determined to not give in and acknowledge the open line of communication between them, she smiles.
“How have you been?”
In the years past, she thinks, and this time, it is only curiosity that radiates from her.