Cities that Never Sleep

xiii

The minute she walked through the doors of the cafe, Finn knew something was wrong.

She didn't greet him with a sarcastic or witty remark. Instead, she greeted him with a deflated smile. Katherine looked tired-no, not tired-worn out, defeated. Music was playing in the back of the cafe (Finn found an old radio and decided to hook it up), but Katherine did not notice.

When she reached their table, she said quietly, "I didn't pass the test."

Then, she collapsed in her chair, eyes empty and lifeless. For a minute, Finn just silently stared. He took in her windblown hair, her down-turned lips, and how her eyes would not meet his. And at that moment, he wanted to tell her everything, if everything he had to say and wanted to say could even be formed into words. At most times he didn't even know what it was that he wanted to say.

But he felt that now wasn't a good time, and pushed the question of when it would be far from his mind. Right now, Katherine was disconnected from the world. So instead, Finn stood up from his seat, and took Katherine's hands in his.

"No Finn, I'm not in the mood." she mumbled to her lap and stubbornly stayed seated in her chair.

But eventually Katherine found herself standing in the middle of the empty and dim coffee shop with Finn as if they were at a high school dance. At first, Finn tried to make her laugh by twirling her around and attempting to pull off goofy dance moves. But somehow, Katherine found herself wrapped in Finn's arms, her temple against his chest. She stared out at the city streets, the feeling of his warmth and of his closeness strangely comforting. She closed her eyes, letting herself get lost in the quiet music.

Finn didn't say anything. He didn't ask her if she was okay. He didn't tell her that everything was going to be okay. He just continued to sway to the music with his arms around Katherine. Maybe that's what she admired most about him; because in his understanding silence, she felt the most at peace.