@peakyblinder: tommy pulls lizzie into a tight hug, as if afraid to let go.
he's holding her close. arms wound tight around her frame, pulling her so close she swears she can feel fear in his bones. the fear he won't speak of out loud, the kind that inevitably wears him down over time. unspoken and impenetrable. it's there, always there. she's attuned to it by now. although she can't help but wonder, what could've happened this time? what has shaken him so violently?
her arms wrap around him in return. they always do. she lets out the breath she'd been holding in, tension seeping out of her body with it. she needed this too. ❝ i'm here ... ❞ sometimes she has to remind him. she's here, she's real. i'm right here. i've always been right here.
she doesn't let go. she only hugs him tighter.
❝ i missed you. ❞