Your serenity

"What's hidden under that mask?" said the young man. His eyes stared deep into mine with curiosity. "How can you seem so unbothered after what happened?" he asked with a slight smile forming on his lips as he watches me shift a little in my seat.

"Sometimes you've been through so much that anything at all no longer bothers you" I took a pause and then continued, "I have to appear composed for my people, for my family, for the kingdom, but deep down there remains a striking pain in my heart that is never cured", my voice cracked a bit at the end. He must have seen the tears in my eyes for a slight second before I sucked them back in.

He took a long pause just watching me as I wipe off all emotions from my face and put on the stone-faced mask again. "Tell me your story and I'll tell you mine....maybe that would heal our wounds," he said with a comforting smile.
He got up from his seat and pulled his hand out for me and said, "Your serenity, may I ask you for a dance?"