550 No Time Left - Part 9

AARYN

Aaryn sat on a bench just outside the back door from the Market stage. Just feet away from the spot where he'd kissed Elreth and their friends had discovered them.

He should have been inside, ready, helping. But his entire body thrummed with tension and grief and he just… he couldn't. At some point after Reth left him standing in the middle of the little clearing, he'd peered in the door to try and catch El's attention, but she'd disappeared. And the idea of walking through the crowds to find her… he just needed some time.

The tension he'd been feeling when he was afraid of letting her down in the traverse was back—but now it was formless.