She sat on the top stair, in silence. She longed to find the right words to break the ice, but in doubt, she preferred to keep her thoughts to herself. He stood in front of her, tall even with his rounded back.

He suffered, she knew it. He had probably hurt for longer than what he admitted, but he wasn’t one to complain about it.

She wanted to just open her arms and invite him to let her lull it all away. She couldn’t take the pain away, she knew it, though she wished she had a way to ,at least, lessen it. His suffering darkened his thoughts, and drew him away from her.

Her silence irritated him, but she didn’t want to risk frustrating him even more by saying something wrong… So she stayed put, facing him without a word, hoping her body language sufficed to tell him how sorry she was, for not being able to help him any better.

His cold stare went from her face to somewhere far away, above her shoulder. He brushed the front of his coat, and took a first step, heading passed her.

She yearn for magic words to stop him, in vain.

I’ll be here when you need me…?

Her words faded in the breeze, while he walked away. She wondered if she had dreamed when she noticed a slight nod of his head…