'Teresa… just wondering, but why do you always hold onto my hand?'
Looking genuinely surprised at the question, Teresa tilted her head and gave Clare a look of amusement.
'Would you prefer that I don't?'
Clare shook her head quickly. 'Nope, I don't mind it at all. It's just that… you know, I'm already grown-up and all, so… I don't know.'
She felt a finger poking her cheek and looked up to see Teresa's mischievous smile. 'Too bad, since you're in your child body, I'm just going to treat you like how you look.'
'Teresa…' Feeling abashed, she swatted Teresa's finger away gently, giving her a half-hearted stare that didn't last. She felt the grip on her hand tighten and gazed at Teresa's warm eyes.
'Besides…'
In that moment, her companion looked more vulnerable than she ever saw her let out.
'I'm afraid that if I let go of this hand… I might just lose you again.'
She felt herself froze for a brief moment.
It wasn't as if she thought Teresa was a fearless being with no insecurities. From the start, she knew her guardian was the one who hid her sorrow and fears behind the façade of a faint smile, and never let them surface. But here she was, saying something that seemed so weak, so vulnerable, something like her true voice that she had never spoken before.
'I know you're not going to be here forever, and at some point in time you'll return to your world. But while you're here, at the very least, I want to hold the hand that I missed, to feel the warmth of your palm, to know that you are safe beside me...' Teresa shook her head, almost as if she couldn't believe what she had said. 'Does that sound silly to you?'
But that was far from silly for Clare. What Teresa said was supposed to be comforting like a warm embrace, but what the girl felt was a cold stab to her heart instead. She hadn't realized how scared Teresa was of losing her for a second time, of letting her go once again. Even if this was just a subconscious world, even if this was just a fleeting dream. As much as she was afraid of suddenly returning back to her real world, her dear friend was similarly experiencing a fear of her abrupt disappearance from this world.
She brushed the moisture of her eyes with the back of her palm. Those stupid tears again. She tightened her own hold on Teresa's hand, mustering the most assuring smile she had.
'If the choice was mine, I would never ever, ever want to let go of your hand either, Teresa.'