Starlight

XXXIII: Could We Start Again, Please?

I've been living to see you
Dying to see you but it shouldn't be like this
This was unexpected, what do I do now?
Could we start again, please?

Could we start again, please?

- "Could We Start Again, Please?", Jesus Christ Superstar

xx.xx

Robin Franks and Henry Hidgens: reunited by a falling star at the end of the world.

They stood silently, staring into each other's eyes for a moment across the driveway. There was no longer anything standing between them, save for that stretch of gravel path and the things they'd left unsaid for far too long.

He lingered in the doorway and even at a distance she saw the agitation in his face, the restlessness in his eyes as he watched her in return. He was more disheveled than she remembered, but what did that matter?

It was Henry.

She began to run.

It wasn't her terror that sent her boots pounding down the path, but anticipation. She'd suffered without him, and she wouldn't extend that misery by even a second more.

And so, Robbie hurtled toward the house, wind whipping through her hair, until she collided with him.

She flung her hands around his neck as his hands clung at her waist, grasping and clutching and holding her as tight as possible, as if she might vanish again if he didn't anchor her to him.

His immense energy swayed for moment from fear to felicity, and he swung her about in a twirling circle, slamming the door behind her immediately after.

"I thought you were dead," He whimpered, his voice cracking a little on the last word. He cupped her face in both hands after he set her back down on the ground, scanning it for any sign of harm. "For God's sake, why didn't you answer my calls? Why didn't you call me? I've been trying to speak to you since last night, I've been worried sick, I--"

"I - I broke my phone." It wasn't a total lie; she had broken it back there in the alley. He needn't know why his calls hadn't gotten through...

"Did you break your laptop? When I couldn't reach your phone last night I sent you so many emails, and--"

"Oh my God, no," Robbie shut her eyes, rubbing her temples. How could she be so stupid? She'd spent all morning believing that she had no way at all to contact him. "I'm so, so sorry, I just - I've been so panicky all morning; I didn't think."

"...No."

"But I'm here now. I'm okay - we're okay... Right?"

She squeezed his arm and -- were those tears in his eyes?

A monstrous second of silence hung in the air. His eyes were dark with exhaustion, and yet he remained wound as tight as a spring, drenched in a cold sweat.

"You and I... We... Um..."

His words trailed off and died, suffocated by the promise of what they might be. There were too many things to say and too many things to ask. Years wouldn't have been enough time; a few stolen moments at the end of the world would hardly suffice.

"I'm going to make sure that everyone is safe," he finally croaked, voice wavering with anxious energy. He dropped his hands from her face and stepped away. Somehow, the distance between them felt larger than it had ever been. "But I don't think that you and I should..."