[ She doesn't verbally signal her understanding. It feels unnecessary. Instead, she merely brushes the pad of her thumb at the corner of his eye and drops her hands again. Wordlessly, she falls into step at his side—but rather than silently and stoically walking half a step at his heel, as she might usually do, she reaches out and takes his hand. It's an unusually sentimental gesture for her, but somehow, it feels right in this moment. They're on a public street; she can't kiss or hold him until they're alone together. ]
salutes