The room seemed to melt away. The flickering hospital lights, the mildew on the walls, the crackle of machines all disappeared until it was only Austin standing in front of her. He was the only thing that mattered.
His entire body bent towards hers as if he wanted to make the space between them disappear. Before, there had been a hands width of space between them. Now there was a sliver of air.
She felt so comfortable with Austin. He was the only boy she would ever let invade her space like that. It felt as though he belonged there. Like the space inches from her skin was reserved for him, like that was the proper place for him to be.
If we were a couple, Ally thought, then I could stand this close to him all the time. Wherever we would go, I would be by his side. That space under his arm could be my space, and I would stand there held against his side, protected, sheltered by his height and confidence. I wouldn't have to worry whether it was wrong to touch him. I wouldn't obsess about every time our hands touched, whether I was breaking some sort of rule by hugging him, pressing against him, breathing in his ear. I could do all those things whenever I wanted. And he could love me, and hold me, whenever he wanted.
Austin's eyes were dark. He seemed to be thinking, concentrating, and she could see his breath catch in his throat. Something was going on inside of his head, and she desperately wanted to reach in and pull it from him. She wanted to stand on her toes and press her ear to his mouth, say to him, "Tell me everything. I want to know everything you've ever thought."
Suddenly, she felt distant from him. She was going crazy trying to guess what he was thinking. What did he think of her?
Did he love her?