As we sat there, surrounded by the mundane clatter of the grocery store, I felt the weight of the past year pressing down on us. Anna’s silence had been a puzzle I couldn’t solve, and now, here it was, real and breathing in front of me.
“I didn’t mean to shut you out,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I know,” I said, and I meant it.
“I just didn’t know how to explain,” she continued, the words tumbling out now, as if they had been bottled up for too long.
“You don’t have to explain everything,” I assured her, though my curiosity gnawed at me.
“Thanks,” she replied, a small smile breaking through the tension.
“But if you want to, I’m here,” I added, hoping to bridge the gap between us.
She nodded, her eyes meeting mine with a flicker of gratitude. “Maybe one day,” she said, and I knew it was the best I could hope for right now.
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