the distance from me to where you'd be

He didn’t know what would happen if Gypsy hadn’t found him. Maybe he would have perished right there, unable to find his will to get up or go on after watching Aslatiel turn her back on him. Gypsy held to him tightly, peppering his head and ears with sweet little kisses as she tried so hard to soothe his shaking sobs and pick up the shattered pieces of his heart. She lay her cheek against his forehead and squeezed him as he cried, unable to do anything but hold him as his body was rocked by the waves. She spoke to him softly and supportively. There were no words of assured resolution, but she was here. That’s all that mattered, she had come to him in the middle of nowhere to comfort him. Like she knew what he needed all along.

”Gypsy,” his voice was raw from the emotion within, but there was a hint of relief through the sorrow. He didn’t have to face this alone. She was here just for him. He squeezed his eyes shut and shifted himself so his massive arms were wrapped around her hips and he held her tighter. She might not know what she really meant to him but this moment cemented her place in his life, his anchor when he was nearly swept out to sea. ”What if I’m never ready?” He didn’t want to say it. He didn’t want to admit his loss because that would make it real, that would mean he had to live his life without Aslatiel in it.