After showering she dressed herself properly and pulled the sleeves of her top over the bandages on her wrists. She didn't want him to see how deep she had sunken. Although... He would deduce it anyway. She shrugged lightly and looked into the mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall...Who is the fairest of them all?" She smiled weakly. Not her, that was for certain. She looked tired and exhausted. But above all, she looked empty. Her eyes seemed to have lost all life and her skin was way too pale. Even make up didn't help that. She applied her lipstick and looked at her mirror reflection. "You look like an old woman. For Christ's sake, Irene. You are only 35."
She put up a weak smile and left the bathroom. Then she grabbed hers and Sherlock's coat and slid her phone into her pocket. After locking the front door, she hailed a cab and told the cabbie where to go. When they pulled up in front of Angelo's, she knew he was already there. It was like she she could sense his bare presence. She payed the cabbie and got out, entering the restaurant. She immediately spotted him sitting at some table in the back of the room. He got up as he noticed her and stood there, looking her straight in the eyes.
Feelings.
Warmth.
Strength.
Hope.
Irene felt herself tearing up again. There he stood after more than two years, like nothing had changed. But that was a lie. Everything had changed. Everything. She was the living proof.
She took a few steps towards his table until she stood in front of him. He smiled weakly. "I would come over and hug you, but I think I would get lost in your arms."
Irene bit her lip and tried not to sob. "What if...we both get lost? We could make each other find the way back."
Sherlock smiled warmly and stepped around the table, closing his arms around her. She inhaled his familiar scent and closed her eyes.
Time stood still as Irene felt safe - felt safe for the first time in years.
