Vlad hesitated; his hand hovering mid-air, an inch before Ameel’s face. The solitary tear silently sliding from the corner of her sea-grey eye contained her heart and his fears. A crystalline distillation of their brief relationship poised at the edge of an eternal moment.

Closing the distance would define their connection.

Withdrawing would erase all they had.

His breath slowed as he watched the tear shimmer down her cheek. Vlad felt Ameel’s pull on him and wondered what affect their attraction would have. A vague hope of their connection drawing them into a closer orbit echoed on the edge of his heart. The shout of fear their gravity would resonate and throw them apart crashed through his head.

Ameel perched on the edge of her seat, statuesque. Her stillness, a marked counterpoint to the cacophony of Vlad’s head, betrayed nothing.

In perfect silence and grace, the immense light droplet slid from Ameel’s chin.