Shooting Star and Swallow's Song

Second and Third

Ryan looked from Alex to the entrance, then back to her.

"Alex, what's going on? How did you...? Is Steph..." he started to say, stepping toward the door, but seeming uncertain what to address and how to address it.

Alex was torn between giving Steph space and chasing after her. She looked to Ryan who shook his head to snap out of his confusion before saying, "Hey, I can go get..."

"No, I...I need to...ugh, fuck," Alex said before moving toward the door with her crutches.

When she reached the door, Ryan opened it for her. She was about to pass through, but stopped when realizing no one would be there to watch the store. Before she could decide that this fact didn't matter.

As if reading her mind, Ryan spoke, "Hey, go after her. I got this."

"Th-thanks," she replied hesitantly, her brain trying to catch up. After pausing for a second, she nodded to him, catching a hint of something in his eyes before she left.

Was it just concern, or fear too? Now Ryan knows something is going on. Fuck. I did not think this through.

Hobbling out the door, Alex scanned the area outside. She saw a couple in the distance, a girl that wasn't Steph approaching and an elderly man across the street walking parallel to the girl.

Fuck, where is she!? She is not that fast. Is she?

Alex moved more into the center of the road to get a better view of either end and looked down as far as she could. Before she got very far into the street, Alex finally noticed Steph sitting on a bench just a few feet away. She froze at the sight.

Head in hands, Steph was hunched over and did not see her approach from behind. She was slightly shaking her head, staring at the ground. Alex was afraid to say the wrong thing, to scare her away again. She knew that standing there, watching would not help either.

If I just stay here, at least I get to be close for a little longer before she leaves maybe forever.

The realization hit her hard suddenly.

God, fuck, no. I can't do this. This is killing me. I have to know.

"S-Steph?"

She mentally cursed her stutter.

Steph did not seem surprised at all to hear her voice. She tightly gripped the edges of her beanie and turned her head to Alex. With her bottom lip bit, she eyed Alex worryingly. The fear did not appear completely gone, but concern lay plain on her face.

"Alex, I...I'm sorry. I wasn't leaving. I just needed time to think. That was...a lot."

"It is a lot. My life is a lot because of this. So if it's too much-"

"It's not too much," Steph immediately interrupted, letting her hands come back down.

Alex paused at her bold statement, before speaking.

"It can be sometimes. It makes me too much."

"You're never too much," Steph said, and stood up.

"But I will be. I can control it now, but when you know I can...know everything if I wanted to, you...might not..say that still."

Steph didn't answer at first, which was an answer too, but then she said, "I'm still trying to process this. I mean...you told me...more than once, but seeing it...fuck. That card game, I knew...knew something was up, but..."