𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 | | 1917

34. ARE YOU COLD?

" There are things we'll never know- never understand. "

-

THE WIND WAS blowing rather harshly. The street lamps alongside the pavement were swinging gently from side to side as the two made their way forwards by foot.

Will had stuffed his hands deep into his pockets, glancing over at her from time to time, as if reassuring that she was still there, besides him.

"How is the hospital?" he spoke up, scratching his collar.

Jo hesitated, tightening her grip around her white stained sleeves. "I don't want to complain about things-"

He slowed down his walking speed, causing her to stop abruptly. "You don't have to," he said. "Just tell me how it was. I want to hear you talk."

She blinked. "It's manageable."

"Is it?" he questioned, easily noticing her avoiding eyes.

She sighed quietly, knowing that yet again- there was no point in fighting him off. "No."

He turned and walked in front of her, causing her to look up at him again. Will then took a second to simply look at her, it was nice, attempting to not stay in that position for too long.

"Whatever you said earlier- it wasn't true was it?" he then said after a few long seconds, causing her to frown just so slightly.

"What?" she mumbled.

"I asked if there was something on your mind and you said no. I figured it wasn't true, but I didn't say anything."

She raised her eyebrows, suddenly feeling very exposed. "Why do you think that?"

He thought about it. Why did he think that?
"I could tell by the way you looked," he murmured in a quiet voice, yet knowingly. "I notice things.
I guess I'm like you."

And that was probably the scariest thing she had ever heard come from another's mouth.

For being like her meant thinking the thoughts she had, begging for words to stop the silence, knowing that nothing would ever change in a heart longing for touch. The torture of letting things be as they were- hidden in dark places filled with memories she was too afraid to discover. A life where everything is by chance and nothing is clear anymore.

So if he indeed was like her.
That would simply break her heart.

She glanced over at him, grasping hardly onto her fingers. The thin material her gloves used to cover her skin didn't stop her fingers from turning cold, leaving her to wonder where the previous sun had gone.

"Maybe you shouldn't look at me then."

"Why?" he asked, his chest suddenly filling with dare. There was a small smile, hidden away because of the shadow on his face, that Jo had yet to see. And he looked at her with so much indescribable adoration, it was quite sad how she couldn't see it.

"It seems like it would be easier for both of us," she said, shrugging.

He furrowed his eyebrow, choosing not to speak. It seemed wiser, more civilized when you don't know what to say. Would it actually be easier? he wondered. Maybe sometimes. But he didn't seem to care. Did she, though?

She looked away and that seemed to tell him enough for the moment. It's weird, how much he noticed her... And apparently, she had not been as oblivious to him as she first imagined, either.

"I was thinking about Julian," she finally admitted, leaving him a little hesitant and confused.

"Julian?"