Barely There

Chapter 19 - Christmas Lights

The wooden boards creaked beneath her feet.

Red, green, and white lights filtered through the darkness of the night, rays of color veiling over the oak ground. The echoes of waves reached her frozen ears as the clouds uncovered the shy moon for a mere second before enveloping it again. The girl walked slowly without much purpose other than to look at the holiday decorations in a desperate effort to distract herself from the emptiness that walked beside her. Her faux leather boots thumped against the vintage wood and her hands rubbed together in order to create a meager source of warmth. Her body shivered violently as she realized the coldness of the air against her soft skin and the goosebumps which covered every inch of her–almost like a second skin. 

Humming the tune of a Christmas song faintly, she came to a stop in front of the decorated café. After bringing her head downwards from looking up at the lights, Leda noticed the familiarity of the figure across from her. She greedily moved closer before the name flowed, naturally, out from her mouth.

"Grayson."

He kept his strict gaze on the lights as his Adam's apple moved upwards with the slight movement of his lips.

"Leda." 

Grayson's voice was poisoned with indifference and she felt intimidated standing in front of him. She felt her eyes water at the coldness, noted his stiff stature, yet, somewhere deep within herself, she felt his restraint, his shift to her presence. And before smiling at the recognition, she turned her attention back to the colored lights before speaking once again.

"How are you?" 

His eyes snapped towards her for a brief second in the continuum of time. "I'm fine."

Practiced words slipped off his tongue easily. Ignoring the racing of her heart, the sweat pouring out of her once cold palms, and the heat that came with standing near him, she looked at him. Bravely, her worried eyes inspected his cracked lips, the more prominent wrinkles between his defined brows, and, most importantly, his skeletal figure. Her heart fell from its wobbly stand and she couldn't stop herself from blurting out her question.

"Are you okay?"

He rubbed his eyes again, reminding her of the last night they spent together. "I'm fine." His eyes returned their long missed gaze to hers. "I'm okay."

With her throat dry, she swallowed her thoughts harshly. His blue eyes shifted back to the colorful lights. Two pools of ocean blue filled with jewels: ruby, emerald, diamond. With the colorful streams cast on his face, his eyes easily reflected the glowing lights, mirroring the image of peace. 

And for the first time that night.

She felt the loneliness start to slip away.