At Gale's answer there was a subtle shift in the mood from her, a slight settling of her shoulders, a soft breath exhaled, an unspoken word of gratitude. Maybe she should stop teasing him about thinking too much because that was exactly what she did, in her own way: worked herself up until even small things became towers with lengthy shadows.
Commitment. What a funny word. What a frightening one.
But if she was going to be the kite they both feared would one day simply fly away on a fell wind, then she needed an anchoring point. A string of yarn. A room. A person. It was not moving in, not committing, but it was an inbetween step with wiggle room: tentative, exploratory, and initiated herself. Just how she liked it.
"Thank you, Gale." And it was obvious by the weight of the words that she didn't mean just about the room. They were the only group of three she could manage tonight, but she meant each one with a deeper emotion than she felt she could express at the time.
Leaning over, Stormy reached out and pressed the play button. As she fell back against the couch, she tilted her head up with a soft smile and kissed his temple before neatly curling back in place as she had before. Safe and content and warm against him with chocolates to share; that was more than she could, or should, ask for.
"Feliz Navidad, mi corazón," she said quietly as the movie began.
kurotomato
