Serving for Two

[Keller]

He had partially succeeded in comforting her, that made him feel slightly better about himself. There was a distinct difference between the man he wanted to be and the man he had to be, reality did not offer the former many opportunities. When she clutched his hands, he ran his thumbs across her knuckles, and when she withdrew he defaulted back to his previous posturing.

"Maybe when you and your family are reunited you can invite me for dinner. I'd be honoured to meet them." It might have come across as a harmless jest, but he was being serious. He imagined it would be quite pleasant to sit down at a fully occupied table and be part of some semblance of a family gathering again. It hadn't been quite the same in his own household since the incident, hence why he became a runaway.

"I didn't pull you from what must have felt like purgatory because I expected something in return. I often want to do the right thing, but it also happens to be the hardest of things. I don't regret it. And I'm glad I mustered the strength to do it." The moment she resumed the process of eating her meal, so did he. It was clear to her now that he was stern for his age, likely due to hardship and trauma. But he was still capable of compassion and even affection. It seemed more natural when he was like that, as if the stoicism was a facade to protect himself from exploitation. He was no less broken than she was, he had just learned to hide it.