Paintbrush

↬twelve.

He hesitated.

The door was open, the lights were on. She was only a few steps away.

What was stopping him?

"Come on, " he whispered to himself, trying to push back the gnawing uneasiness. After letting out a long sigh, he strolled into the drugstore.

The familiar bell rang above him; he gulped. His frantic eyes searched for the unique beauty.

He slowly walked towards the register. With every stride, his heart pounded even harder.

Then, he paused. Doubt began to overwhelm him.

But before he could turn around, she rose from behind the counter and locked eyes with him. He glanced down at her crossed arms. It was as if she was protecting herself.

From who? Him?

"Hi, " he cleared his throat.

She rubbed her arm as she spoke. "Hey, alley guy."

  "Are you...are you cold? You can have my jacket."

  "No, I'm fine. Thanks, " she offered a small smile and he nodded.

  It was silent. Awkwardly silent, instead of comforting like before.

  He felt the question nagging at him, but he was afraid she would shut him out. He didn't want to lose her, even though he barely had her.

  Curiosity got the best of him. He reminded himself of her current fragile state before speaking. "I–I need to know. Yesterday, I came around and I saw that this store was closed. It was pretty early too. And I feel like I saw you inside..."

"Yeah, um, I wasn't feeling too great. Sorry about that."

"Are you okay now?"

"I guess, " she shrugged; he frowned. Her eyes shifted to the ground and he sighed.

"Hey, hey, " he leaned over the counter, closer to her. He gazed deeply into her eyes and she felt his deep sincerity. "Remember, you don't always have to be okay."

Her mouth parted slightly as her eyes bored into his. At that moment, she felt as if she could share anything with him. She stood in front of him, completely vulnerable. Completely exposed.

  "I..." she murmured, her voice cracking. Her lower lip began to quiver and he was instantly at her side.

  He looked at her, asking silently, and she nodded. His warm arms wrapped around her small body. She closed her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks.

  She was quiet, but he could feel her distress. Her pain. He could hear her call for help, even when she whispered.

  "I can't...I can't tell you yet, " she sobbed.

  He smiled gently, rubbing her back. "That's okay. I don't need to know. I got you. You're safe now, you're always safe with me."

  And for once in her life, she actually believed that.

A/N: thoughts? Comment below, I reply 99.9% of the time :)