Faith. It doesn't make things easy, it makes them possible.
-Luke 1:37

Her eyes watered. Her heavy heart thudding painfully.

They all wondered what she was doing sitting down there at the last pew in the church but no one had the courage to go up and ask. She didn't want to talk to anyone anyway so it was okay.

She wanted to be alone. With Him. With God.

'Oh God.' Her voice broke on a sob but the tears refused to fall.

One of the ushers finally worked up to courage to go to her. 'Miss?'

She didn't reply. She didn't even look up. It was like no one had even spoken. She probably didn't hear a thing.

'Excuse me.' The usher persisted, still receiving no response. On an annoyed huff, he walked away muttering about rude people but she didn't care.

She couldn't. She had bigger problems to worry about. Like her dead brother.

Unknowingly, she drew in a sharp breath.

Tom was dead. Dead. He'd never come back. Her elder brother was gone. Forever.

A quiet whimper escaped her lips. Tom.

She watched with detached interest as the mass servers cleaned up the altar. One in particular caught her interest. She's been seeing him around for the  past two months but had never worked up the nerve to speak to him. Yesterday, she'd thought he was cute. Today, right now, she couldn't remember why she ever thought so. Sure he had a pretty face but so did her brother and he died anyway.

She was numb. She didn't... couldn't even feel the pain and though her vision was blurred with tears, they refused to fall. She couldn't cry.

Why did God have to take him? He was a good b---

'Hey.' Her eyes widened minutely. Her version of surprise.

He was there. The cute altar boy.

She didn't move her head but rather glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.

She took in a deep breath and went back to staring straight ahead. She stared so hard  she couldn't even make out any shapes.

He'll just leave anyway. No one really cares about others that much. They ask just to appease their conscience but no one really wants to be another person's emotion dustbin.

She was genuinely surprised when he sat down next to her. This time her head moved when she turned to look at him. Her eyebrows rose infinitesimally. If he wasn't studying her so closely, he might have missed it.

'I'm not forcing you to talk about whatever it is that's bothering you but I am here. I'm listening. Whenever you're ready.' He said gravelly.

She drew in a shaky breath and nodded. She wanted to tell him that he was only saying that because he thought it's what she wanted to hear and that he won't be around tomorrow but she didn't. She didn't say anything. She just kept staring straight ahead at the large cross above the altar.

God, I don't want to ask you why. I really don't but it's hard not to. He wa--- Tom didn't deserve what happened to him. Wh--

She let out a bitter laugh.

Really hard to not ask why. Really really hard. I want to believe it's for the best. I want to--- but I can't. Not right now. I can't accept it. I can't feel anything.

'Wanna talk about it?' He asked, clenching his fist.

What happened to me not having to talk about it.

'No.' She spat. A few hours ago, she would probably be loosing it in her mind because he was talking to her but now... She just wasn't feeling it. She wasn't feeling anything. She was numb in a way she hadn't known was possible.

There was a little commotion at the entrance to the church. She glanced at the doors and then slouched in her pew so she was partly hidden from their view.

'What's wrong?' He asked, glancing from her to the main doors.

'Hide me.' She whispered, half laying on the pew.

He glanced at the entrance again where two girls were talking to an usher. Two girls he knew were her friends.

Shrugging, he moved into position so his tall frame was hiding her from view of the entrance.

Two seconds later, the usher and girls turned to look at where he was sitting.

He tensed slightly and tried to appear casual. He turned and nodded a greeting at the usher who in turn shrugged and looked away.

'Thanks.' She sighed, sitting up after they left.

'You're welcome.' He replied. She went back to staring at the Cross and he resigned himself to the fact that she might not speak to him about what was really bothering her. She even seemed to have forgotten his existence.

'I thought... I used to inagine stuff like this happening and what my reaction would be but I never imagined... This.' She took him by surprise. He was already accepting that she wouldn't breath a word to him so the entire sentence rattled him.

Her voice was little above a whisper.

Now that she was talking, David didn't want to disrupt the flow by saying anything so he kept quiet and nodded accordingly.

Her lips parted and he could tell she was struggling to say something. He didn't know how to encourage her so he reached over and squeezed her hand.

They were both shocked when she grabbed his hand and held on tight.

He smiled.

'I want to cry. I want to... To feel... something. But I just... feel numb. I don't know. I feel like crying is somehow going to help. My mom called. She told me and she's called over twenty times since then and  I... I just can't pick up the call because I don't know what I'm going to say to her. I don't...' She sighed heavily and shook her head.

Her hand tightened in his.

And they sat there. For hours. Holding onto to each other. She drew from his strength and he willingly gave it to her. She didn't speak and he didn't force her to. He knew she would when she was ready. He was content to be there for her and she was glad to not be alone.

A bond was formed.

They parted five hours later without a single word. Just a broken glance and a nod. He silently vowed to fix that.

Author's Note:

I'm not good at this but at least that wasn't completely horrible... I think.

No matter what you're going through, there's always going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Your tunnel might just be longer than most. Don't give up.

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts.