Suddenly, he's looking straight at her, and she could swear he sees straight through to her core. She stares back, trying hard to stay composed—it's usually so easy for her, but most things are easier for her to bear than this. He stands, and her throat closes. mouth desperately dry. For the sake of the people surrounding them, she refrains from letting her myriad emotions play across her face, taking a deep breath to try and regulate her pulse. Ignoring the rest of her tea and her soup, she stands, painfully aware of how old she must look.

Despite the fact that she traveled here in hopes of finding him, consciously or not, she has no idea what she should do now. This is silly, she thinks. What did she expect would happen?