THE SPACE BETWEEN US

It was early evening when Daniel showed up at velma's door. She hadn't expected him, not after everything but when she saw him standing there ,the two hands in his pocket, looking both nervous and hopeful ,her heart did something it hadn't done in a long time, it softened . "Hi" ,he said in a low voice. "Hi" , velma whispered ,stepping aside .

He walked in slowly like he was afraid he would wake something scary up if he moved too fast. The room was quiet,just the soft hum of her standing fan and the rhythm of their breath. Velma didn't know what to say first, so she poured him a glass of water." I'm sorry",she said quietly looking down." you already said that", he looked up at her. " I'll keep saying it". There was silence . Then he steeped closer,his eyes searching hers. "I'm not angry with you, I was just scared that maybe this thing between us was never real".

Her voice broke slightly,"it was real,I just didn't know how to hold on to it". Their eyes met and for the first time ,there was no barrier, no guilt ,just them. He reached out and touched her cheek ,she didn't pull away , instead she leaned into his palm, her eyes stuttering shut. He stepped closer until there was no more space left between them and their bodies and gently,like asking a question,he kissed her forehead,then her nose,and then finally her lips,soft ,slow and honest. The kind of kiss that wasn't about hunger but about homecoming.

They spent the rest of the evening on the couch curled up under a throw blanket. Her head on his chest ,his finger brushing lazy circles on her hands and they talked about nothing and everything ,from his childhood fear of goats, to her obsession with fries and burgers. They laughed ,they teased, they healed and the sky outside was navy blue and the nights folded around them, they stayed like that,breathing in syncs ,heart calmer than they had been in a long time, no rush ,no need to say more. They were together and for now that was enough.