As she climbed an old tree in Cabeswater she picked an old branch they liked to sit on. It was close to where the trunk split into two. She quietly sat on the branch. He sat down on the branch adjacent to her's.
"Do you want to talk?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"You sure?" He asked his eyes full of concern.
She nodded. She didn't want to talk to anyone not while Adam's shouts were still ringing in her head. She felt tears pool in her eyes, begging for her to blink so that they could flow freely down her pale face. She blinked, and the tears fell.
He put an arm around her and moved on to her branch. He hugged her and whispered soothing words of comfort to her while she cried into his shoulder. It felt good to have someone who didn't need details, but was just there for her when she needed him. After what had happened earlier she just needed someone to understand, someone who would make things better. She cried until she had no tears left to cry. She looked at him, his shirt was soaked by her tears, and he smiled at her.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," she smiled back.
He pulled her into a hug.
"If you don't hug me back this'll get really awkward really soon." He told her.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. He pulled back after a few moments. He laughed. She shoved him playfully and he fell off and grabbed on to another branch. He let go and fell to the ground. He began to walk away, but at the last moment he turned back, and waited for her.
She climbed down. He pulled a mint leaf out of his pocket and stuck it in his mouth.
Maybe thing will be better now, she thought to herself as they walked. She smiled at that thought. The evening light was fading as they walked through Cabeswater. She felt better than she had in a long time, since she no longer had all that pent up emotions inside her. It was like a little bit of emotion left with each tear. She realized at that moment that he and the tears together had fixed her. She was happy, and she smiled in the fading evening light.
"Thank you, Gansey," she said.
"You're welcome, Jane," he smiled, sadly.